


Snapshots

by sam_bam16



Series: Dreaming in a Nightmare [2]
Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Gen, Homophobia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-03
Updated: 2018-06-07
Packaged: 2018-09-09 09:16:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 73,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8885308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sam_bam16/pseuds/sam_bam16
Summary: Supplemental short stories. Some are background stories, missing scenes, fade-to-black fill ins. Some are just a whole lot of funFirst chapter is filled with the summaries for eachThis will make absolutely no sense unless you read His World was a Nightmare.





	1. Summaries

**Hired** \- Venc becoming part of the Mob and the Kavinsky family. A snapshot in history.

  
**Construction Time** \- It's construction time on the beach. A snapshot in time. One of Joseph's good days while on Christmas vacation

  
**Showdown** \- Coincides with Chpt 62. Nikol giving Vesela a piece of her mind

  
**Talks & Surprises** \- Takes place after Chpt 68. When Raul brings Ivo's gifts home

  
**Guys Were Hotter** \- Venc experimenting with his bisexuality. Snapshot in history

  
**Bro-Dom** \- Venc and Daniel and broship

  
**New Ties** \- Daniel hoping to establish a new ally in Ivo. Fits in that timeline gap between chpts 93 and 94

  
**Arrival** \- Vesela showing up at Nikol's. Coincides w/ chpt 105/6

  
**World Series** \- World series time

   
**Poor Johnny** \- The beating at the end of chpt 112. Typical Ivo banter included of course

 

 **The Bathroom Void** - Emilio gets trapped in the great bathroom void on their way to San Diego. Comes after Chpt 146

  
**Impromptu Bachelor's Party** - Impromptu bachelor's party because Ivo was too cool for Daniel's actual. Total old man style because Ivo ain't about that life.

 

 **Lullaby** - Prompt: 'Ivo' and 'song'. Which became Ivo getting baby Joseph to fall asleep for the first time by himself. Well, mostly by himself ;)  
Snapshot in history

 

 **Daniel's Wedding** \- Daniel's wedding in his pov. Technically chpts 157-59

 

 **The Challenge** - Daniel's meeting his future-in-laws for the 1st time. He's got to win them over by passing a test.

 

 **The Shopping Trip** - Chaerin and Daniel and shopping for their future home. Cuteness ensues

 

 **Bonnie to My Clyde** - The potato launcher incident mentioned in chpt 170

 

 **A Typical Sunday** - What a typical Sunday lunch is like. Family, being annoying, starting some shit. Timotei with a headache

 

 **Evading Execution** - Yulian almost being sentenced to death after possible treason. From the epilogue

 

 **Batter Up** - Joseph + baseball team at the batting cages. Also Ivo's first time being a chaperone

 

 **Have a Depressing Christmas** - Emilio's first Christmas without Joseph since they met. Moving on is a lot harder than it sounds

 

 **For the Love of Snow and Cocoa** - Six year old Joseph, snow, old lady, and cocoa. Some added Ivo

 

 **Bittersweet Fourth** - 1st Fourth w/o Joseph and Vesela. Anka's pov

 

 **The Ice Cream Story** - The infamous ice cream shop meeting. Vesela/Ivo

 

 **Sir Nazi** - Chaerin makes a discovery in Daniel's old house followed by having the need to impersonate voices. Constipated Batman is her skill

 

 **SpongeBob: The Movie** - Movie day at Yulian's staring SpongeBob and a critical Ivo

 

 **Chickie** - One of Joseph's grand ideas doesn't go the way he expects


	2. Hired

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Something in Timotei's pov and meeting Venc for the first time.
> 
> Well, I happened to make it more into a 'Venc getting the job' fic that also includes Ivo's pov. If you haven't, you should read His World was a Nightmare first or you're going to be pretty damn confused.  
> Hope you guys enjoy this snapshot in history.  
> P.S. You guys are going to meet Nikolai again.
> 
> Also if you would like to prompt, ask, or whatever [sambamart](http://www.sambamart.tumblr.com)
> 
> Timelinish: 1996  
> Timotei: 52  
> Ivo: 27  
> Vesela: 24  
> Joseph: 1

“My lord,” Asen bowed his head as Timotei reached the door to the main room upstairs.

“Asen,” he replied, a greeting smile upon his face as he opened the door and entered the room.

Walking in and shutting the door, Timotei was slightly surprised by the sight before him. Confused too.

Sitting at the table was Ivo, per usual, in his spot beside Timotei’s chair. He was sipping his coffee as he spoke to a boy sitting beside him eating a slice of pizza. Timotei had never seen this child before and was somewhat confused as to why a child would be here in the first place.

“Good afternoon, gentlemen.”

They both glanced up at the sound of Timotei’s greeting. Ivo had the normal look of boredom upon his face and the boy had one of nervousness. “Afternoon, sir,” the boy spoke up.

“My lord,” Ivo whispered to the child.

Blushing, the boy corrected himself quickly. “My apologies, si- I mean my lord!”

Timotei smiled at him reassuringly. “No harm done.” Walking over he sat across from them. “And who do I have the pleasure of meeting?”

The boy looked over at Ivo who simply stared back, taking a sip of his coffee. Swallowing down his nerves and looking back at him, he replied “Vencislav Mateev, my lord.” Vencislav stuck out his hand in greeting after wiping them clean.

Taking the hand offered, Timotei shook it. “Pleasure to meet you, young man. I am Timotei Dobrev.”

Vencislav nodded his head. “I gathered as much, my lord.”

Timotei nodded with him. “Might I ask to what I owe the pleasure of our meeting, Vencislav?”

“Of course. I’m…” he faltered then, probably his nerves catching up with him. Breathing deeply, he continued “I’m going to be Lord Kavinsky's right-hand, my lord.”

Timotei stared at the boy in front of him. Ivo’s right-hand? It was true that Timotei had been piling Ivo with more and more work but he hadn’t realized a right-hand was required. If Ivo couldn’t shoulder the work now, how on Earth was he going to manage it on his own when Timotei was gone?

Then there was the matter that a young boy was chosen for such a position. He only looked to be maybe 9 or 10, hardly old enough for work in general not to be working in a mob. “How old are you, young man?”

“Eleven, my lord. Just turned a few days ago actually.”

“Eleven,” Timotei murmured as he nodded his head to this revelation. “What grade?” If he was eleven, he should have at least an elementary education.

Vencislav blushed then. “I’m not in school. The last grade I finished was fourth.”

Timotei pursed his lips. “Vencislav? Might you give Ivo and I a minute, please? Go ahead and step outside and I’ll call you back when we’re done.”

The boy looked worried as he turned a glance to Ivo. “Please,” Vencislav whispered to him.

Ivo stared back and replied “Go on. Bug Asen for some time.”

Nodding, Vencislav stood and walked out, shutting the door carefully behind himself.

Raising his eyebrow in an almost challenge, Ivo said “Problem?”

“Problem? You bring a boy in here and then tell me he is to be your second and you dare ask me 'problem'?” Timotei finally let the annoyance he was feeling lace his voice. As the years went by, Timotei had come to notice that Ivo was growing bolder and bolder in the way he spoke. Gone was the boy who only aimed to please and was always respectful. He was slowly being replaced with the man who now sat before Timotei – a disrespectful bastard.

“Kid needs a job. I gave him one; you know, I thought you would be kind of proud of me.” He shrugged, “Guess I was wrong about that.”

“And what exactly was I to be proud of? The boy barely turned eleven, lacks an education, and hardly needs a job. Do tell, Ivo, why the child requires a job and for that matter why I should allow him to have said job.”

Ivo turned and looked boldly into Timotei’s eyes. “Being that he’s going to be working for me, it is in no way your decision to make. I’m giving him the job and that’s that.”

Timotei could feel his anger starting to build up. “Perhaps you should remember your place, Ivo. That mouth of yours has been running quite a bit lately.”

He merely rolled his eyes. “My apologies,” Ivo said ever so sarcastically. “But this kid needs a job, tust. And just like you were willing to take a chance on me and give me a better life, I’m willing to do that for Vencislav.” His voice lowered and became almost pleading, “Please. He really, really needs this, I swear. I’m not doing this just to get a rile out of everyone.”

If Ivo was willing to plead, then there must really be something behind him wanting Vencislav to work for him. Breathing steadily, Timotei tried again. “Just explain to me, Ivo, and we will work from there, yes?”

Perhaps he sensed Timotei’s change in demeanor. Also steadying himself, Ivo took a sip of his coffee and relaxed, staring down at his coffee cup. “His parents left when he was nine, tust. Left him, his little sister, and his grandmother. His grandmother can’t provide for them – she’s old and tired and doesn’t even speak English. Who knows, maybe she isn’t even a citizen. He dropped out of school when they left and started stealing and pickpocketing to make money and feed what was left of his family.”

Realization came upon Timotei; Vencislav’s story was a little similar to Ivo’s own. That was probably why he wanted to help the boy. “You see yourself in him.”

Shrugging, Ivo replied quietly “Maybe a little. I mean, I wasn’t as young as him and I only had my mother to support but still. I know what it is to be down on your luck. He’s only a child, he deserves better than what God has served him with.”

“How did you meet him?”

Ivo laughed. “A few weeks ago he tried to jack my wallet. He begged me and said he needed to pay rent for the month, so I ended up giving him a hundred bucks and told him to fuck off. Today as I was buying coffee, he begged me for a job. I decided to oblige.”

Timotei nodded his head along as Ivo spoke. “Despite my current annoyance with you, I must admit I am proud of you for your kindness.” Ivo smiled up at him, delight in his eyes – a spark still left of the boy he had first met ten years ago. “But he cannot be your second.”

The light died in Ivo’s eyes, quickly being replaced with shock and then a flash of anger. “And why the fuck not?”

“Language, please.”

“Language my fucking ass. Why the fuck not, tust? First off, I’m not going to go back on telling the kid that he can work for me and second off, it’s my choice anyways.”

“Ivo,” Timotei said calmly. If he were to allow his anger to flare, then it would simply become a shouting match with no end. “I truly understand why you want to do this and also that the boy needs assistance but there are some problems.”

“Enlighten me, then.”

“One, he is far too young to be involved in this business. It is dangerous even for grown men, let alone children. Two, even if I wasn’t to look at his age, Vencislav is hardly qualified. He barely has a fourth grade education, Ivo. What benefit is someone who is uneducated?”

Toning his own anger, Ivo said “Tust, he steals and pickpockets. He’s already living a dangerous life on the streets. At least here, with me, he’s a bit more safer than out there. And as for his education, I’ll teach him. I’ll pay for schooling of some sort and he’ll have tutors and Vesela and I to help him.”

“Ivo, you hardly have the time to tutor a child. For that matter, as smart as you are, I do not think that a man who doesn’t even have a high school diploma can educate a child very well. It comes with more than simply being intelligent.” He raised his hand haltingly when Ivo opened his mouth to speak. “And Vesela is hardly up to it either. She is caring for a baby, Ivo. Anytime when she is free from Joseph’s time should be spent on herself not Vencislav.”

“She wouldn’t mind, Timotei. And I almost finished high school, so that counts. Please.”

His annoyance was beginning to flare once more. There were days where he genuinely questioned his decision on allowing Ivo into his family. Helping him was the right choice but giving him the hand of his daughter was, at times, quite questionable. That had become explicitly apparent in the past couple years.

“I have come to notice that when it comes to you, she will agree to anything even if she doesn’t want it. That when it comes to you, Vesela will disregard any and all of her wellbeing and simply focus on making you happy. She is incredibly dense at times when it comes to you, Ivo. So yes, if you asked her she wouldn’t mind but I, as her father, am saying no.”

Ivo’s face filled with shame and his voice grew quiet as he looked down at his hands on the table, biting his lip. “I didn’t mean to hurt her, tust. I really-”

“Don’t. We will not open that matter once more. My answer to Vencislav is no, Ivo, and I will hear no more of it. Provide him with money if you would like but he will not be working for me.” Hearing a knock at the door, Timotei said “Enter.”

Standing up, he turned to the greeting of Nikolai and walked to his chair beside Ivo. “What business, Nikolai, do we have most urgent today?”

 

* * *

 

 Ivo stood and grabbed his empty cup, tossing it in the trash when Nikolai walked in. He was in a pissed off mood as it was, not to have to deal with Nikolai at the moment.

“We have things to discuss for the day, Ivo,” Nikoli said, eyebrow raised. “Where are you going?”

With his back turned and walking to the door, he replied “To go shatter a child,” and slammed the door as he walked out.

Asen looked at him curiously, “My lord? Isn’t there to be a meeting?”

“Where is the boy?”

“Downstairs in the casino, my lord. Left a couple minutes ago.”

Giving his thanks, Ivo went down the hall and down the stairs, leaving the comforting silence and entering the loud brashness of the casino. He cast his gaze around trying to find Vencislav but between the throngs of people it was difficult.

Grabbing a waiter, he asked “Have you seen a boy anywhere?”

The waiter nodded. “Yes, my lord. Just walked out not five minutes past.”

Walked out. Shit. He probably figured why the conversation was taking so long.

Rushing through the throngs of people, Ivo walked out and looked in all directions, trying to catch his eye on the kid. But he couldn’t see him; the street didn’t have much people on it and Vencislav wasn’t one of them.

Crossing the street, he walked over to the lady at the bus stop. “Excuse me, miss?”

She smiled up at him, “Yes?”

“Have you by any chance, seen a boy about eleven walking on the street? He would have come out of the casino.”

“Yes, actually! He went and turned down that street,” she pointed to Ivo’s left.

“Thank you,” Ivo smiled and jogged back across the street and down the next.

But still no Vencislav.

“C’mon kid,” he muttered. “Where the hell did you go?”

Then he saw him. Jacking some idiotic dude’s wallet. _Should’ve paid attention, man._ Ivo waited until Vencislav was safely away from the man and then called out. “Vencislav!” The boy turned and caught Ivo’s gaze. “Come here!”

He looked like he was mulling over his choices. Looking like he gave a sigh, Vencislav trudged over to Ivo, dumping the wallet and anything he didn’t want from it into a trash can. Reaching Ivo, he sighed “What?”

“What? Uh, I don’t know if you noticed but you kind of just left?”

“I’m not an idiot, my lord. If he was on board, it wouldn’t have taken so long. The only thing I was stupid in, was thinking that my life had finally turned up. That things were going to get better and I didn’t have to worry if my family was going to starve this week. Thank you for trying though; much appreciated.”

Ivo stared at the boy before him. This kid deserved better than he got. But then, anyone who was dealt a shitty hand did. He knew what it felt like to be hungry, to worry that maybe this was it. That it was all over even though he had someone who relied on him. He had spent horrible nights working odd and dangerous jobs just to make sure his mother had somewhere to stay and be safe.

He knew what it was like to have your life shat on and working your way back up for the people you loved.

“In this case, kid, you’re actually an idiot because he said yes.”

Vencislav blinked at him, not comprehending the words. “He…he said yes?”

Nodding, Ivo was thankful he was a damn good liar when he needed to be. “Yup. It just took a while because we had to work out details and shit. But you got the job, kid. Welcome to my family.”

Tears began to well up in Vencislav’s eyes. “You truly mean it? Honestly?”

“Why the fuck would I lie about it?”

“B-But I’m hardly qualified and-”

Ivo interrupted. “Don’t worry about. You’ll learn as you work. I hope you’re a fast learner though. And you’re going to have to go back to school. Not public but I’m sure we’ll figure out a way so you can work and school at the same time.”

“Is it weird if I say ‘I love you’ right now? Because I really want to.”

“That would be fucking weird, don’t say that.”

Vencislav laughed. “Okay, how about a hug of thanks?”

Scrunching his nose, he replied with his arms outstretched “I guess I can manage that one.”

Delight spilled over Vencislav’s features as he hugged Ivo tight. “Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me. I’ll never ever forget it. Thank you.”

Hugging him back, Ivo said “Don’t worry about it, kid. But one thing.”

He smiled up at him from the hug, “Yes?”

“Vencislav is a fucking mouthful. I’m calling you Venc from now on.”

Laughing, he pressed his face back into Ivo, “That’s totally cool with me, my lord.”

Ivo realized that even though he was going to be in for it with Timotei and the shit squad of his inner circle, it was damn worth it.

Welcoming Venc into his family was almost like having his brother back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bulgarian Dictionary
> 
> Тъст (tust) – the father of a wife


	3. Construction Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's construction time on the beach. A snapshot in time.  
> One of Joseph's good days while on Christmas vacation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy some happiness y'all. Fits somewhere between chpts 53 and 54

Joseph walked out to the beach, enjoying the feel of the grass and then the sand under his bare feet. The sand between his toes made him think of happier times at Coney Island. It was cold but he wore shorts regardless. Wearing pants on a beach just seemed wrong; he was wearing a sweatshirt though.

Picking a spot on the beach that wasn’t too close to the water, Joseph plopped himself down. He placed the bucket set his mother had surprised him with beside him.

He was going to build a totally awesome castle. It was even going to have not only little army men inhabiting it but sandmen too. Maybe a hermit crab if he was lucky.

Grabbing the smallest bucket of the three, he walked down to the water and swished some into his bucket. Joseph trotted back to his construction site and began his great endeavor.

Wetting the sand a bit with the water he brought, he mixed it together to make it nice and combined. He added some more sand to his mixture so it wouldn’t be more muddish than sandish. Once that was done, Joseph began shoveling sand into the largest of his buckets, filling it nicely to the brim. He shaved off any extras from the top, making it nice and smooth.

Turning away from his 'materials' site, Joseph smoothed out the land of his 'building' site. After ensuring that his land was leveled, he lifted the filled bucket and prepared himself. "On three. One...Two..." Joseph held the bucket tight and ready for the flip.

"Three!" He flipped his bucket as fast as he could, slamming it down onto the floor. Patting the top and sides to ensure everything came out, Joseph lifted off the mold, smiling in delight at the perfect tower.

"Success! One down and lots more building to go." Joseph figured that his castle was going to take at least a couple hours to finish. He wasn’t the most fantastic creator obviously, but he had the blueprints in his mind and he was going to give it his best shot.

Filling the same bucket, Joseph repeated what he had done three more times, creating a square of sand towers. His castle was going to have one on each corner and a wall connecting each one. Four corner castles and, if he could manage it, one in the center with a city surrounding it.

It was going to be amazing.

He built a small wall connecting each tower and using a handful of sand, he patched shut the spaces in the center between the towers. Now he had a nice platform; he’d carved out doors and decorations later.

Grabbing the smallest bucket, he filled it and filled it upon the platform. Pulling it off, he cleaned the edges and top, making sure it was all nice and smooth. Pretty was also important. “Structure of castle one has been completed. On to tower two, gentlemen. And ladies.”

After building the last three corner castles, Joseph began the walls connecting them all. After that was done, he stepped inside the center of the walls, bringing his buckets with him. Smoothing out the floor where the main government building would go, Joseph decided that it would have the same structure as the outside castles just to keep things easy. He’d just make it fancy with extra decorations and stuff. A flag in the top tower would help it out too; distinguish it from the others.

“I see we’ve got some serious construction going on here,” his mother smiled as she came walking to him, a tray in her hands. “Can the master builder take a lunch break?” She settled herself a little ways off from his construction site, placing the tray down beside her.

Still filling his bucket, Joseph replied “Depends.”

“Oh?”

“The master builder is wondering if there’s any desert to go with the lunch. He’d also really like some hot chocolate; his hands and insides are really cold.” He filed of the top of the bucket to take off the extra sand.

“Well, can you pass a message to the master that there is actually a slice of cheesecake to go with the lunch. It’s soup so it’ll warm his insides up nicely. And if he’d like that hot chocolate, he’s gotta eat his soup.”

Standing up, leaving his filled bucket where it was, Joseph stepped over his walls and made his way to his mother, dusting his hands on his sweatshirt as he did. He sat down on the other side of the tray and said “My worker passed on the message that there is cheesecake and soup present. I think that sounds really delicious. Definitely worth the lunch break.”

Eyes shining and smile ignited, his mother laughed “Well, that’s good. I was worried my memo would get lost in the hustle and bustle of a construction site.”

“My workers are better trained than that, mayko.” He picked up the bowl and put it between his legs on the sand. Taking his spoon, he ate a mouthful of delicious warm vegetable soup. “It’s yummy, thank you.”

“Enjoy,” she smiled, taking a sip of her coffee. “That’s going to be a big castle, huh?”

“Imma try,” he mumbled around a mouthful of vegetables.

“It’s looking great so far. Are you by any chance hiring? I’m unemployed and really want a job with the amazing builder and mastermind of this city.”

Smiling from amusement, he laughed “I’m looking for an awesome decorator and carver. Do you fill those positions?”

Laughing, his mother said “I think I’m pretty good but we won’t know for sure until you give me a chance, sir.”

Downing the last bit of soup in his bowl and wiping his face with a napkin, Joseph replied “I guess we’re just going to have to see. But construction isn’t done yet, so you’re going to have to come back later. Decorations go last.”

“Sounds like a plan,” she murmured, staring out to the sea, lost in whatever occupied her mind at the moment.

The cheesecake looked delicious but Joseph wasn’t sure he could actually finish it. “Mayko?”

“Yes, baby.”

“Do you wanna share my cake?”

Turning her head to look at him, her eyes glowed once more. “I’d love to.”

“Okay good because this thing is ginormous. I’ll eat my half and then you can take yours.”

They sat in silence as he slowly but surely munched down his half of the slice of cheesecake. He handed it off to his mother, “Enjoy.”

“Thank you,” she murmured as she accepted the plate. It bothered him how she seemed to be down.

He needed to get a smile on her face.

Bouncing up, he called “Be right back!” as he dashed to the house. Opening the door, he bounded in and trotted to the kitchen. He’d make hot chocolate for the both of them. Her’s would be extra special with the works.

Joseph took out two mugs from the dishwasher and set them on the little island. He dragged a chair from the table and pushed it close so he could use it for standing. Grabbing the box of hot chocolate from the lower cabinet, he took out two bags and set them beside the mugs. He opened the fridge and took out the whip cream and slid on his socks to the cabinet beside the stove and took out the little glass jar that had cinnamon sticks in it. He also grabbed the powdered one and nutmeg too.

After making the hot chocolate, Joseph swirled some whip cream on top of both. Taking out a cinnamon stick, he placed it carefully in his mother’s cup and put her some nutmeg and powdered cinnamon too.

It looked perfect.

Slipping on his shoes first, he grabbed both mugs and walked carefully to his mother. “Here you go,” he chimed upon reaching her.

A huge smile lit her face when she saw her cup. “That there is beautiful, Joseph. Thank you!”

Smiling in delight, he sat beside her and began drinking chocolate warmth into his body. Once they had finished their chocolate delights, his mother stood and grabbed the dishes. “I’ll clean up and then we’ll see if I can earn my keep on your construction site.”

“Okay!” Standing, he added “I’m sure you will though.” His mother laughed as she walked back to the house.

“Break time’s over, ladies and gents. We got lots more work to go.” Walking back to his construction site, Joseph continued his grand project. After finishing the structure of the center building, he began making itty bitty houses and shops with his hands. He carved out little creeks and ponds and made bridges for ‘the citizens’ to cross over.

“Wow, you work fast,” his mother said, walking up behind him. “I love the city.”

“Thanks,” he murmured as he smoothed out the edges of a bridge. “Are you ready for some decorating?”

“Yessir. Put me to work.”

After what seemed like more than an hour, Joseph and his mother stood staring at the completed city. “It looks totally kickass, baby.”

“Totally agree,” he said. His city came out fantastic. And his mother was one hell of a carver and decorator. “We gotta make sure to take a picture.”

“Definitely.”

His eye caught on movement in the sand. “Oh!” Joseph rushed to the hermit crab on the move. Picking it up, he bounced in delight. “We found our king, mayko!”

She fist pumped to the sky. “Woot! You should put him on top of the government building’s tower.”

“Good idea!” He stepped carefully into his city and around the civilization inside. The top tower had walls encircling it, so he placed the crab gently down in the middle.

“Welcome home,” Joseph smiled.


	4. Showdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coincides with Chpt 62. Nikol giving Vesela a piece of her mind

Nikol smiled in sick delight when she heard the doorbell ring. She already knew who it was; she had been waiting in utter anticipation.

Getting up off the couch, she placed the book she was reading on the coffee table and walked to the front door. She called through the door sweetly “Who is it?”

“Open the fucking door, you bitch.”

Smile growing wider, Nikol opened up to her seething baby sister. Gesturing politely, she murmured “Please do come in. It’s so wonderful to see your pretty face.”

Vesela’s eyes were flames, anger etched all over her face. She walked in and slammed the door shut. “Where is he?” She asked steadily, the flame within her not coming out in her words.

Yet. Nikol very much planned on adding gasoline to the fire.

“Who?” Nikol replied in feigned confusion.

“My child.” Her fists were clenched tight at her sides.

Nikol let out a haughty laugh. “Sorry, sweetheart, I’m claiming him starting today. So, uh, my child. Not yours.”

Her sister’s face grew even redder than it already was. “Give him back and we’re good.”

She never knew her brilliant sister could actually be that stupid. If she thought that Nikol was just going to ‘give him back’ then oh damn was she in for surprise. “No.”

“That’s not your choice to make,” Vesela seethed while clenching her teeth. “I’m his mother, not you. I gave birth to him.”

Rolling her eyes, Nikol said “My dear Vesela, when you actually start acting like a proper mother, we’ll talk. Just because you brought him into this world doesn’t mean anything. I already did more for him than you’ve probably done in months. You know what the first step would be in becoming an actual mother?” Nikol leaned in close, murmuring “Stop making him live in hell with that abusive bastard you call a husband.”

“It’s not any of your fucking business!” Vesela blew, throwing her hands into the air and her anger ready to turn into fury.

“It’s my business because he is my nephew. I consider him like one of my own kids, Vesela. Do you think I enjoy seeing him hurting? How the hell do you just ignore the pain he’s always in?”

“He’s fine,” she answered. Nikol was sure that Vesela didn’t even believe that.

She had planned on keeping her voice steady and calm to really piss off Vesela but she couldn’t help it. They both had the explosive voices and tempers of their mother. “We both know he isn’t! What the fuck do you and Ivo put him through? What the fuck do you people say to him that he thinks he’s nothing but shit beneath your feet? What kind of child apologizes for being a mess? What kind of child calls himself a worthless nothing that nobody wants? What the fuck is wrong with you! I can’t believe you’d put your child through those types of words! Your son! Your baby, Vesela!”

“Do you know what I went through when I couldn’t find him? Do you even get what you put me through? I thought-”

“I DON’T GIVE A SHIT! DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU PUT HIM THROUGH EVERY SINGLE FUCKING DAY?” Nikol breathed in deep, trying not to get too loud. “Cuts, Vesela. My nephew, your little boy, cuts himself because of all the hell you’ve put him through. He cuts himself open! HE’S FUCKING EIGHT! EIGHT AND HE MAKES HIMSELF BLEED TO BE ABLE TO PUT UP WITH YOU AND THAT PIECE OF SHIT! Do you even know what he does to himself?”

Vesela clenched her jaw tight. “It was only once and he was just a little depressed that’s it.”

“You have got to be kidding me. Vesela, he has cuts on his arm that are probably only a couple days old. Just a little depressed? I know you’re not that stupid.”

She was surprised when shock lit her sister’s face. _She didn’t even know?_ “Do you even bother making sure he’s okay?”

The anger and hate filled Vesela’s voice. “I already know how he is. I’m with him every single day.”

“You weren’t today.”

Her fists clenched once more. “He needs to get used to being alone.”

“Right, so just yell at him and tell him he’s going to stay all alone for five or six hours and expect him to magically deal with it?”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

Nikol didn’t want to listen to the garbage spewing out of the idiot’s standing before her mouth anymore. She shoved Vesela hard into the wall and hissed into her ear. “Listen to me closely, bitch. You’re not getting Joseph back. I refuse to continue to allow a little child suffer because his mother is more worried about getting some than taking care of him. I wish you had died from your fucking heart attack. It’s no less than you deserve for putting Joseph through so much.”

Drawing back quickly before Vesela hit her back, Nikol stood about a foot away and said “You don’t deserve him, you know. God blessed you with a brilliant little man and you don’t deserve him. His fucking shoe is worth more than you.”

Vesela swallowed hard and muttered “Give me my son.” She laughed then and added “Actually, I’ll do it myself. When have you ever actually done anything for me?” Vesela eyed the direction of the entertainment room, guessing correctly where Joseph would be.

Nikol grabbed her arm when she passed. “What have I ever done for you? How about taking you in and comforting you and cleaning you up and keeping you fucking safe when your _husband_ beat you for being pregnant? Did you forget when you showed up a mess at my door? Did you forget his blows and yells? His hate?” Vesela just yanked her arm back and continued on her way.

“You want to know what the incredibly sad part is, little sister?” she called after Vesela who had reached the door by now and was ready to open it up. She paused and pursed her lips, waiting for Nikol to continue.

“You’re becoming exactly like him. I can’t wait till you both burn in hell together.”

Vesela raised an eyebrow and let out a huff. “We’ll see you there, bitch.”

Laughing, Nikol replied “Oh no. While I may go to hell for whatever reason, I won’t be in the special section that you and Ivo will.”

Turning, Vesela crossed her arms with a question written on her face. “And what, dear sister, is this special section reserved for?”

“The disgusting people who ruin children’s lives. The ones who hit, who abuse, who think it’s okay to hurt in any way possible. The ones who make their children feel worthless; who make little kids think that they don’t have a good enough reason to survive in this world. Who make little boys and little girls feel as though they were just mistakes that God made. The people who don’t accept their kids for who they are. Those bastards who think that they are so much more important than the children they brought into this world.”

“Ivo and I fall into that category?” Nikol couldn’t even tell if Vesela was being serious or not.

“You’re breaking him, Vesela. You and Ivo are breaking Joseph down little by little.” Frustration was filling her. Frustration and pain. Her voice cracked a little, “Don’t you care?”

She could have sworn she saw the sheen of tears in her sister’s eyes. And God, did she hope so. Nikol wanted to believe that there was something left of her sister still inside of there. “Worry about your own fucking life, you bitch. I’ll deal with my own.”

Deciding to give it one last push, Nikol murmured “What would tate think, Vesela? What would tate do if he saw what you were doing to his favorite little boy? What would he think of you?”

Tears were definitely there now. But so was the fury as Vesela shouted “JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP!” She advanced to Nikol and yelled “I’m taking my child! I’m grabbing him and we are walking out of this door! And whether or not I feel like yelling or _beating_ him for his stupid stunt is entirely my decision as HIS MOTHER! BECAUSE THAT’S WHO I AM! NOT YOU!”

Nikol’s brain hadn’t actually registered what her hand did until it was done and Vesela was staring at her in shock, clutching her cheek. “Listen to the words coming out of your mouth. LISTEN TO THEM! You’re his mother? You gave birth to him? Congratulations and hell, I’ll go buy you a fucking gift for bringing such an amazing boy into world! Kudos to you! You may have given birth to him, Vesela _Kavinsky_ ,” she spit out the disgusting taste of Ivo’s surname, “but you are so far from being a mother, you have no fucking idea.”

“I didn’t ask for your opinion,” Vesela hissed, hand removed from her now flaming cheek.

“Well, I’m going to give you one more, so listen up. The minute _your beloved_ finds out that you left Joseph by himself for hours, he’s gonna be pissed. Ivo may want to Joseph to be able to handle being by himself again but he’d never do it the way you just did. How sad is it that I am placing the man so low in my eyes higher than my sister. How sad is it that abusive Ivo seems to have more care for his son than you now? The man who never wanted anything to do with the child he made seems to worry more for him now. He’s going to hate you for it, Vesela. You’re going to go down a notch in his eyes.”

“You make it sound like you actually know anything. I-”

“I’ve known him for the same fifteen years you have, sweetheart. Hell, it’s almost sixteen now. The only difference is that I haven’t had sex with him. But I know his personality and his brain just as well as you.”

Working her jaw, Vesela muttered “He won’t know unless your fat ass mouth says something.”

Shaking her head in disbelief, Nikol replied “And you think that he’s not going to notice the tension that’s going to fill your hell hole? Ivo is so many goddamn things but stupid will never ever be one of them.”

“I’ll handle it,” Vesela hissed as she turned to go back to the entertainment room.

“And I’ll be here when he sends your ass packing,” she whispered. “I’ll be here to pick up all your broken pieces and glue you back together again.”

“Just like I always do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bulgarian Dictionary (If I put anything wrong, please let me know)
> 
> Баща (bashtá) – father, usually called “tatko” or “tate"  
> 


	5. Talks & Surprises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Talks & Surprises- Takes place after Chpt 68. When Raul brings Ivo's gifts home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [sambamart](www.sambamart.tumblr.com)
> 
> Sometimes you just wanna write some Vidal family, you know?

Unlocking the door, Raul stepped into his apartment and was met with silence. Which was just plain weird because his house was never quiet unless they were sleeping. Hell, even when they were, somewhere someone would be making some sort of noise. There were too many people who lived here for silence to actually be a thing.

Shutting the door quietly behind himself, he listened carefully to the miniscule sounds of his family. He was pretty sure he heard his mother muttering about something; probably about the kids. Maria’s bed squeaked so she was most likely lying on it. Raul heard Alondra gurgle in the room; Claudia had to be in their room. And typical of Linda and Alicia, one had to be lying on the floor and the other on one of the beds.

It was a blessing when his girls were being civil.

He felt bad for Emilio sometimes because he was trapped between so many women. Raul himself had any older and younger brother, also an older sister. Lately he had been wondering if Claudia would murder him if he suggested they try one more time for another boy. But then he thought about the fact that Emilio would be around at least ten by then and wouldn’t think too much about a brother who was so much more younger than him.

Placing the bag that had the games in it on the kitchen table, Raul pulled out his Nerf gun and loaded his bullets. If no one wanted to keep their ears open and come say hello, then he might as well surprise them. He couldn’t help but smile; this was going to be fun.

Emilio shared a room with his grandmother and theirs came up first. Looked like his mother was going to get it first then. Stepping lightly, Raul walked to the edge of the doorway and peered in. His mother was sitting on her bed, talking on the phone. It was probably one of his siblings. She was sitting sideways so the best shot would be in her arm.

Positioning himself, Raul turned into the doorway quickly and fired off two bullets at her. She yelled in surprise when the first one hit her and then yelled in annoyance when the second did.

“What are you doing?” She asked indignantly as he laughed at her shocked expression.

Standing with a smirk on his face and resting his gun against his shoulder, Raul laughed “Uh, shooting you?”

He could hear moving in the girls’ room and knew that they were coming to see what was up. Turning around fast, he fired off six bullets – two for each girl. They were all harmless hits but each one shrieked.

“Papi!” Maria shrieked indignantly. “Ouch!”

“Oh please, it didn’t hurt. Don’t whine, mija,” he laughed.

She huffed in annoyance as she picked the bullets off the floor and threw them at him. “Yes it did. Have you been shot? It hurts!”

“Stings I think is more appropriate.”

Alicia was looking at the gun in excitement; she was waiting to get her hands on it, he knew. He’d probably have to hide it before she murdered her sisters with it. “So you have been shot?”

“Oh yes,” Raul laughed while reloading. “Ivo was more than happy to give me the experience.”

His girls and mother stared at him in confusion. Linda was about to say something when Raul heard Claudia walking to them. He put his finger to his mouth the tell the girls to quiet as he got ready to shoot his wife. She popped up in the doorway and he happily shot off _four bullets_ at her stomach.

She was special. Claudia deserved four instead of two.

“Raul!” She shrieked as the girls laughed.

“That’s what you all get for not coming to say hello. Hurt my feelings.”

“Hurt us bodily,” his mom muttered from behind him, resuming her phone call only to hang up a second later.

“Aye, you guys are so sensitive. Where’s Emilio when I need him?”

“At Joseph’s, whose father apparently gave you the experience?” Linda piped in.

Laughing, Raul replied “I wasn’t counting how many he shot off but I’m pretty sure it was more than my gun’s measly ten.” Pausing for a moment, he realized something. “I should've went back for a bigger gun after that…”

Claudia looked at him curiously. “You and Ivo…shot each other with Nerf guns?”

“Well, I mean, that’s a thousand times better than real guns, don’t you think?”

“Obviously, yes.”

He loaded his bullets back up in silence. Raul prayed there would never be a day where he and Ivo would have to point actual deadly guns at each other.

“Raul?”

Looking to his mother, he answered “Yes?”

She gestured to the gun. “Planning on finishing the story?”

Shrugging, he said “There’s no story. Savelio and I went to get coffee and we found Ivo and the boys there eating breakfast. Emilio wanted me to spend the day with them and, I still don’t know how, Ivo managed to convince me to. Emilio’s tears also played a big factor after I had told him I couldn’t. So I took the day off and spent it with them.”

Surprise filled Claudia’s face. “Can we afford you taking a day off?”

He fiddled with his gun uncomfortably. “Not exactly but… I’ll just pull extra shifts. See what overtime I can grab. And if worse comes to worse then…” Raul shrugged as he trailed off. If worse came to worse, he’d ask Ivo for help. He had done it a few times with close friends in Connecticut. Here in Jersey, Raul hadn’t exactly had the time to make close friends besides for Savelio.

And Ivo. Raul hadn’t ever really considered him a friend; acquaintance maybe. But after today, friend was the appropriate word. He couldn’t believe when Ivo actually looked uncomfortable and almost shy when he had mentioned it.

“Then what, Raul?” He could hear the end sentence even though Claudia didn’t speak it. _We can’t get anymore advances on your pay for the next few months._ They didn’t like to get too detailed in front of the kids. They didn’t want them worry more than they already did.

She wasn’t going to like what he was going to say. His mother was probably going to yell at him too. She truly believed Ivo was possessed by the devil. Sometimes, he didn’t blame her. “Then I ask for help like I have before.”

“Kehaulani is as broke as you are, mijo,” his mother reminded.

“Not Kehaulani, Ivo.”

Insanity is what his mother diagnosed him with as she stared at him, “You would ask el diablo for help?”

“He’s not that bad…” he muttered. Raul felt like that time he had introduced Maria’s mother to her and she spent an hour yelling at him, telling him that she’d bleed him dry of every penny he had. He barely had much anyways so Raul had just moved on. He hadn’t believed her anyways; he was in love.

His mother was more than happy to say I told you so when things went bad. Maria’s mother had done more than just bleed him dry; she had taken his baby from him too. Until, of course, that baby got in the way of her next victim.

“He’s that bad and I know you know it. Timotei? Now that was a good honest man despite his profession. El diablo? He deserves to burn in hell for eternity.”

Annoyance was starting to bubble. Being lectured was never fun, especially in front of his kids. “I’d sell my soul to the real devil if it meant keeping my family safe and fed and out of the streets, mama. And it’s not like I would have suddenly thought of asking Ivo if he hadn’t offered. Yes, he is many things but the man is always willing to help those having it harder than him. Maybe it’s because he’s tasted hardship himself.”

“I feel uncomfortable of us ever having to ask,” Claudia said as she sat down beside his mother.

Shrugging, he replied “I feel uncomfortable asking anyone but if I have to then I’ll ask. My family is more important than my pride.” Ending that line of conversation, he looked to his daughters. “Ivo actually got you three surprises.”

“Really?” Alicia bounced in delight. “Is it really cool?”

“Oh, I think you guys are going to love them.” Raul walked out of the room, gesturing for them to follow to the kitchen. “Close your eyes,” he said once they reached the bag. “No peeking.”

Claudia and his mother came behind them and their eyebrows rose when Raul took out the Gameboys, setting them and the games in front of the girls. He placed each girl’s color and game in front of them. “Alright, open up!”

“No way…” Linda trailed as her eyes sparkled, lifting the box of the system and flipping it every which way. “No way! Papi! This is so cool!”

Maria was staring at hers in silent fascination while Alicia up took her bouncing once more. “This is so awesome!” She made to open the box when Claudia stopped her.

Taking it from Alicia’s hands, his wife looked at him like he was crazy. “These are expensive. While I don’t mind them buying things once in a while, I’m not going to accept gifts like these. I’m surprised _you_ allowed him to buy these because it seems you were with him.” She took each one from the girls and placed them in the bag, dropping the games in after them.

The girls’ faces dropped in disappointment as Claudia pushed the bag to him. “Tell him that while we really truly appreciate the gesture, he needs to return them. This is hundreds of dollars worth. I’m sorry but I won’t allow it.”

Sighing, he grabbed the bag and started taking out the games again, placing them back on the table. Claudia looked incredibly annoyed but the happiness delighting his daughters’ faces was worth the anger that would come later. Picking up Alicia’s, he tore the box open and put it on the table. Raul opened all the boxes and then looked at Claudia. “They’re open. Can’t return them now.”

His wife worked her jaw in anger. The girls looked at her, trying to decide if touching the gifts was a good idea or not. Pushing them towards them, he encouraged them to enjoy. “Have fun and make sure you call and say thank you before bed.”

“We will,” Maria said as they each took their game, trying to hide the smiles on their faces.

“Share!” He called as they went their room. The last thing he needed was them fighting on who gets to play what. Raul looked back to his wife; Claudia had her arms crossed in both anger and frustration. Huffing, Raul muttered “Let’s hear it.”

“Those are incredibly expensive, Raul.”

“And the man is incredibly rich, Claudia.”

She huffed out “That is beside the point and you know it.”

“Look, I didn’t want him to buy them-”

“Obviously, you’re okay with it now.”

“We took the boys to a toy store in the mall and he said he was buying something for Emilio. He said I had no say in the matter because he wanted to sleep in his bed tonight. My assumption is that Vesela told him to buy something, although he probably would have even if she hadn’t said anything.”

“Fine, let him buy something. It does not need to be expensive because I imagine Emilio got one as well?”

Taking a seat at the table, Raul acknowledged that fact. “I mean, Joseph can’t get one while Emilio doesn’t. And I did tell Emilio to pick something else but Ivo insisted. So, I told him that because it’s different from a toy, to get the girls each one.” Shrugging, he said “He was more than happy to.”

Claudia just shook her head and huffed as she walked to their room. He looked to his mother and waited for her to say her part. Yes, he wasn’t entirely comfortable with the amount of money Ivo spent but he had put smiles on all his older children’s faces today. It was worth Claudia’s disdain.

“One day, mijo, you will see el diablo as he is. He is going to cause a lot of pain in the coming years.”

“Mama, sometimes you freak me out the way you talk,” Raul muttered as she walked away. “Creepy old lady prophetic stuff…” He really hoped this wasn’t one of those situations where she was right.

Pulling out his phone, he shot off a text to Ivo.

_Not on the couch but I sure feel like it. Thanks a bunch, asshole_

He got a reply not two seconds later.

_My pleasure, If I used those smiley shits, the winky one would be appropriate_

Rolling his eyes, Raul wrote back.

_I believe theyre called emojis_

Waiting for an answer, Raul stood and grabbed a chocolate from the drawer. He ate it quickly just in case his mother came walking back. Despite the fact he was fit and healthy, she never allowed him to enjoy an occasional ‘enjoyment.’ He was sipping a soda once and she slapped it out of his hand as she passed.

Cleanup was unpleasant.

His phone buzzed with a message. Opening it, he waited for whatever picture Ivo sent him to download. Raul opened another chocolate and took a bite only to choke on it from laughter. The picture was a simple one with the focus on one thing.

The finger flipping him off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spanish Dictionary:
> 
> mija (mi hija) - my daughter  
> mijo (mi hijo) - my son  
> el diablo - the devil


	6. Guys Were Hotter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Venc experimenting with his bisexuality. Snapshot in history

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [sambamart](http://www.sambamart.tumblr.com)
> 
> Couple ppl asked for Venc and his sexuality so here it is! Hope it's what you were looking for. There's an obvious fade to black that I wasn't sure how far I should go with it. Up to you guys. If you want it then I'll do it  
> Enjoy!
> 
> Timlineish: 2001  
> Venc: 15 (going on 16 in a couple months)  
> Ivet: 8  
> Ivo: 34 (I think I messed up his age in one of the chpts... now I gotta check)  
> EDIT: I found the age mistakes. Ivet surprisingly is one of the problems. She's actually 9 here. Ivo is 32. Sorry, my bad. It apparently wasn't a math day lol

“That there,” Ivo nodded in some direction that Vencislav didn’t catch, “is fucking disgusting. Like what the fuck people.”

Venc gazed around, trying to see what in the world was so disgusting. Nothing caught his eye though. Everything on the street seemed normal to him. “Uh… what exactly am I supposed to be looking at?”

Sipping his coffee, Ivo flicked a glance towards him. “You’re joking, right? That doesn’t bother you at all?”

“What? What am I supposed to be bothered by?” He looked around again; there were some people milling about. A woman with a stroller, an older man walking down the street, and two men sitting on a bench with one about to steal a kiss from the other. “Ya, still not seeing it, my lord.”

Ivo stared at him like he was crazy. “Those fags shoving their tongues down each other’s throats doesn’t bother you? What the fuck, Vencislav?”

He turned his eyes back to the men on the bench who were laughing as they stood to continue their day. No, it didn’t bother him and he didn’t see why it should. Why did it have to be an issue? But he felt like voicing his opinion wasn’t such a great idea. Venc would have to tread carefully.

“I guess,” he lied as he shrugged. Venc wanted to end this conversation without too much issue. “People can do whatever the hell they want,” he murmured around the rim of his coffee cup.

The look Ivo gave him made Venc wonder if he had sprouted a second head or something. “You guess… now you’re worrying me, asshat.”

“Nothing to worry about, my lord. You know me, I’d take a girl in two seconds.” He kept his voice as steady as possible, not wanting Ivo to hear anything in it. If he were being honest then yes, Venc would take any girl in seconds. But he’d take any guy in less time than that.

Girls were hot.

Guys were hotter.

But he couldn’t tell Ivo that. Not after he just expressed his utter disgust.

Ivo examined him as they walked, his brain gears turning as he contemplated Venc. It made Vencislav uncomfortable but he knew that if he broke the silence of thought, Ivo would have even more to think about.

The awkward silence lasted the entire walk back to the casino from the coffee shop. As they walked into the bustling noise and up the stairs in the back, Venc was starting to get nervous. He was about to speak before they entered the main room, just to get some noise between them, when Ivo muttered “I really gotta find you a girl before you start putting faggish thoughts in your brain.” Looking at him critically, Ivo said “Because once that happens, I advise you to stay far away from me.”

It was a good thing Ivo didn’t know the types of thoughts Venc already had inside his mind.

  

* * *

 

Walking into his room, Vencislav threw himself facedown onto his bed. He was just beyond exhausted right now.

Groaning when he heard giggling behind him, Venc muttered into his mattress “Go away, Ivet. I’m tired. So, so, so tired…”

The giggling stopped but he felt the mattress dip beside him where Ivet got on. She hugged him around his stomach and settled her head on his back. “Thank you.”

“For?” Venc yawned huge into the mattress. It was uncomfortable because his nose was smashed into the cushion.

“For being tired.”

He lifted his head, turning it as far as he could to look at his sister. “That makes no sense.”

Blinking at him, she clarified “Thank you for working so hard to keep me and bába safe and fed.”

Smiling, Vencislav sat up and hugged his sister close. “You’re welcome. Thank you for being so awesome. I love you.”

“Love you too,” she yawned.

“Go on, off to sleep.”

She yawned again and stretched. “I’m tucking you in first.”

Catching her yawn, Venc murmured “Deal.” He didn’t even care about changing right now. Venc simply laid down again, slipped under his blanket, and shut his eyes tight. “G’nite.”

Adjusting the blanket on him, Ivet murmured “Good night.” Shutting off the light, she quietly closed the door behind herself as she left.

  

* * *

 

Typing in her brother’s passcode to his phone that she had taken from his nightstand, Ivet went to his contacts and called the name she was looking for.

Hopefully calling at 11:30 at night wasn’t a problem.

She waited, listening to the rings when the phone was answered. “Pretty sure I just saw your ass fifteen minutes ago when I dropped you off.”

Laughing, Ivet said “You haven't seen me at all today.”

Snorting, Lord Kavinsky said “Hello, Ivet.”

“Hiya, Lord Kavinsky. Can I ask a favor, please?”

“Anything you like.”

Ivet hesitated for a second then said "Can you please give Vencislav the day off tomorrow?"

"Is tomorrow something special?"

"Um, no but...but he's really tired and I want him to rest. I don’t want him having grey hairs already."

“Mmm,” he hummed on the line. “Does he have any yet?”

Rolling her eyes even though he couldn’t see, she said “I haven’t checked but I will if you want me to. Please, my lord?”

Clucking his tongue, Lord Kavinsky replied “Alright but only because you asked so sweetly. And, you know, we don’t want him having grey hairs already and stuff.”

She smiled in delight, “Thank you! He’ll work extra hard on Saturday, promise.”

Lord Kavinsky laughed and said “Don’t make promises he might not be willing to keep. Now go sleep, you have school tomorrow.”

“Okay! Thank you again!”

Hanging up, Ivet bounced with glee. Her brother seriously needed a day where he could actually act like a teenager. He didn’t need extra worries and work; Venc shouldn’t have to do that all the time.

Quietly walking back into his room where he slept soundly, Ivet placed the phone where it had been and went to go sleep herself.

  

* * *

 

“People knock,” Venc said, his voice full of the annoyance he felt upon Ivet barging into his room. He’d like to get dressed in peace.

Rolling her eyes, she muttered “You’re wearing pants, what’s the big deal?”

He sighed and opened his closet to yank out a shirt. “What?” He asked when Ivet pushed him out of the way.

“I’m dressing you today.”

Rubbing his forehead in exasperation, Venc huffed “Don’t you have school to get to? And I have work; I don’t have time for this.”

“No work today,” his grandmother said in Bulgarian as she passed. She didn’t believe in speaking English in a Bulgarian household.

“Makes no sense, bába!” He called after her. Covering his head as she walked back into his room, he laughed when she tried to slap the back of his head. “Abuse, bába.”

“Don’t back talk me before I really get you one of these days.” She sat down on his bed and examined the choices Ivet had pulled out for him. “These are good choices, Ivet. The black shoe or the red, do you think?”

Ivet hummed as she pulled out his red sneakers from the closet. “Red, I think. Looks good with all the black.”

He felt like he was missing something that the two women in his life knew but weren’t telling. Looking at the clothes Ivet picked, Venc thought he might die of heatstroke today. “You realize I’m going to die from all the black, right?”

“You’re not gonna die stupid,” Ivet held up the long sleeve in her hand. She rubbed the fabric and said “See? It’s nice and light. And it’ll kinda stick to you, so it’ll make you look nice and show of the little bits of muscle you got going. The long sleeves will make your arms look extra good. But make sure you leave the top two buttons open.”

Groaning as he sat on the bed beside his grandmother, Venc muttered “Ivet, what are you doing?”

His sister smiled and said “You’re gonna go clubbing today. Or whatever it’s called. Bar hopping? I don’t really know but you’re gonna go get yourself a one nighter person. Obviously, don’t bring them here but I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

Vencislav stared at his sister in disbelief at the words coming out of her nine year old mouth. Then he looked to his grandmother and realized she wasn’t disagreeing in any way. _What the hell…_ “You two care to tell me what’s going on?”

“I called Lord Kavinsky last night and told him to give you the day off,” Ivet smiled. “So you’re going to use that day off to enjoy yourself! I know that you have a fake license, so you shouldn’t have trouble getting into places. You’re gonna go drink – not too much – and then find yourself someone to enjoy the night with. I’m attempting to make you a regular teenager in a way. You’re welcome.”

He was about to tell his sister how much of an idiot she was when his grandmother cut in. “Enjoy yourself for a day, Vencislav. You work far too much. You need a break. As much as I don’t like one night things, I’ll say go for it. Find yourself a lovely lady or man and have fun for once.”

“M-man,” he stuttered in horror. When did she find out? How did she find out? And if she knew then obviously Ivet knew. But they both seemed…fine. Like it didn’t bother them.

Laughing, his grandmother replied “Aye Vencislav, I know you better than you know yourself. But do not worry, it is a secret that will remain in this family. I’ll admit it’s… odd but…” She shrugged as if it didn’t matter. “You be you.”

Flicking his eyes from one person to the other, he couldn’t believe he just came out to his family and emerged with them still intact. Not everyone had that pleasure. “Okay…” he trailed while looking back at the clothes on the bed. “Find me a one nighter person…”

Smiling and winking to Ivet, Venc said “I got this.”

  

* * *

 

Deciding that a club was the best place to start, Venc walked over to one with his nerves buzzing. It was night of an incredibly relaxing day and while he was nervous, he was ready for this. Considering taking a cab was something he did do but he decided against it. The nervous energy needed to be used. Standing in line, he waited for his turn. He had chosen the club because he figured he couldn’t be the only fifteen year old looking for a night of enjoyment. The oldest he was willing to go was eighteen, maybe twenty one if the guy was just too good to pass up.

Venc was aiming for a guy tonight. Probably really his only chance so he was going to use it.

Showing the bouncer his I.D, Venc walked into the noise of the blaring music. He made a beeline for the bar; dancing wasn’t his thing so he was putting his hopes on someone at the bar. Sliding into one of the stools, he asked for beer and hoped for the best for the night.

Halfway through his bottle, he wondered how long a person should sit before it looked like they were either desperate or a drunk. He didn’t want to be perceived as either one – he figured two drinks would be a good limit. There was no one he could really ask; Ivo didn’t go to clubs, or bars for that matter, and Vencislav didn’t think he had ever been when he had been a teen. Ivo was too busy getting himself and his mother smuggled out of Greece.

But maybe in Bulgaria before shit went down? He’d have to ask.

He finished his first drink as he gazed out around the club when his eyes locked with another man’s. The guy smiled to which Venc gladly smiled back.

The guy was definitely something. _Please don’t be one of those guys who looks young but is actually old…_

The guy walked over to him and took the seat beside him. “Beer, please,” he said to the bartender. Turning to Venc, he smiled “If I ask ‘come here often’ will you think I’m horribly bad with pick up lines?”

Laughing as he placed his empty bottle on the counter, Vencislav replied “Yes, yes I will. But I’ll give you an ‘A’ for effort.”

Smiling, the guy introduced himself. “Jared, nice to meet you…”

“Venc,” he replied with hope blaring in his chest. He’d be so disappointed if the guy was older than twenty one.

Jared was maybe an inch taller than Venc and his eyes, even in the dim of the club, sparkled a beautiful green. His hair was dark with the sides shaved and the top a little longer; messy but probably styled that way purposefully.

And his lips looked delicious.

“Venc. I like,” Jared smiled as he took a sip of his beer. “What’ll it take for me to convince you?” He kept his voice loud enough to be heard over the music but not too loud to be heard by anyone passing. Although same sex acts were no longer illegal in Jersey – the law had been abolished a couple years before he was born – it was still illegal in almost a dozen states and some people still wished it was here.

They didn’t want to catch the wrong person’s attention.

“Straight to the point,” he laughed in reply.

“We both know we aren’t here for some discovery of love.”

Looking at Jared closely, he said “How old are you? And don’t lie ‘cause I guarantee I’ll know if you do.”

“No worries,” Jared smirked, “I’m only nineteen, I swear.”

Venc couldn’t help but smile as he said “Well then, you have nothing to worry about either. It won’t take a whole lot to convince me.”

Glee filled Jared’s face as stood up in his extremely tight black jeans. Leaning to Venc’s ear, he murmured “Thank god because just talking to you for the past minutes has me wishing I didn’t wear such tight pants. No breathing space, you know?” Venc felt his face flush as Jared nipped his ear, “Motel and I really wanna get topped. What do you think?”

“I think that I’m going to love tonight.”

  

* * *

 

Opening his eyes slowly to the sunlight, Vencislav stretched while breathing deep. He really didn’t feel like getting up; he was so sated and relaxed.

He felt really good.

Turning to look beside him, he opened the note that was in the place of Jared.

_Thanks for last night. I really wish I had opened up with all that love crap cuz holy shit, you’re amazing. The rounds we went weren’t nearly enough to satisfy my craving of you. Hope you loved it as much as I did. The soreness will make me remember you for the next few days._

_Room’s paid for. Make sure you leave before noon._

-          _the guy who got fucked out of his brains all night_

_and according to his fucker, the best bj giver ever ^.^_

Choking on his laughter, Venc smiled with all the giddiness he was feeling. He definitely loved it as much as Jared had. And Jared was _amazing_ at blowjobs. Like holy crap.

Stretching once more, he looked over the missed calls from Ivet and Ivo and decided to call them after he showered. They could wait.

Once he was home, he changed quickly before Ivo showed to pick him up. Slipping on his shirt and looking in the mirror, he realized how much of a good choice it was to tell Jared not to mark his neck. He’d get too many questions like that.

That didn’t mean anything to the rest of his body though, he couldn’t help but think. Those would take a few days to fade.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when he found Ivet standing in the doorway. She had this knowing smirk on her face. “So?” she asked.

Venc tried to keep the giddy smile off his face but was unsuccessful. “So?”

“Boy or girl?”

“Boy.”

She nodded while pursing her lips like she was impressed. “Good looking?”

“What do you think?”

Laughing, she replied “Definitely then. Have fun?”

It should bother him that his little sister was asking these questions but it wasn’t like he had someone he could brag too. It’d be weird with his grandma and a huge no no with Ivo. “Lots.” He laughed and added “Lots and lots.”

His phone rang with Ivo’s name popping up. Answering, he said “Coming, hold up.”

Hanging up, he kissed Ivet and dashed out the door. Upon reaching Ivo in his beautiful Bentley, Vencislav got in and gave a greeting.

Ivo raised an eyebrow but didn’t start driving. “What.”

“What?” He couldn’t help but smile.

“You’re too goddamn happy. So what? What was so amazing yesterday?”

“My time away from you,” he laughed jokingly.

Rolling his eyes, Ivo replied “Seriously. You’re just way too upped right now.”

“It was just a good day, I guess.”

“No…” Ivo examined him closer, eyes searching. “You look like a guy who just had the best sex of his life…” Venc watched as realization dawned on his boss’ face. A smirk grew as Ivo leaned back a little, “You had the best sex in your life, didn’t you?”

Blushing a little, Venc turned to look at the window. “We’re gonna be late.”

Whistling, Ivo said “Look at you! Getting someone all by himself! God fuck, I’m so proud. That why you didn’t answer this morning?”

“I was showering.”

Laughing, Ivo shook his head as he began to drive. “I don’t have to give you the condom lecture, do I?”

Blushing some more, he replied “No. Although bába actually gave it to me a few months ago. It was so freaking awkward. Not that I needed it, anyways.”

Ivo laughed some more, his face lit with amusement. “Jesus Christ… My Venc is growing up! Don’t worry, I’m not expecting your brain to be working today.”

“Thank you,” he couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m pretty sure I lost it during one of many blowjobs.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bulgarian Dictionary:
> 
> Баба (bába) – grandmother


	7. Bro-dom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Venc and Daniel and some broship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Something with Venc and Daniel requested by the ever amazing Hatty Hattington
> 
> Do enjoy!

“I really don’t get it,” Daniel muttered.

Shrugging, Venc replied “It makes a lot of sense to me.”

They were in Venc’s car, driving to a bar. Venc enjoyed Daniel’s company; they had become fast friends. He felt like it was because of Daniel’s personality.

“Why doesn’t he like me? Honestly? I want to like him; he seems pretty awesome. So what’s it about me that he can’t stand?”

Venc had a type when it came to the friends he chose.

“It’s because you guys are pretty damn similar. Your personalities are so fucking alike. Ivo’s a bastard. You’re a bastard. Two bastards getting along isn’t the easiest thing in the world.”

Daniel went silent at this. While they waited for the light to turn green, he muttered “I guess I see your point.” After another period of silence, he mumbled “He’s the bigger bastard though.”

Reaching the bar and eventually finding a parking space, they got out and walked over to the entrance. There were three men walking out as Venc and Daniel reached the door. The men’s faces were blank, no reactions upon them. But for some reason, Daniel’s steps faltered. Only just slightly but enough for Vencislav’s trained eyes to notice.

_Suspicious much?_

Obviously they knew each other. Or at least Daniel knew who they were. He made sure to register the three men in his mind so he could mention them to Ivo later. They looked to be Russian; maybe they were part of the Russian Mafia in Brighton? Daniel’s family was connected to the Mafia, maybe that was how they knew one another.

Walking into the bar behind his friend, Venc shuffled the problem of the Russians to the back of his brain for later. Grabbing a table in the back and against the wall – it had been ingrained in him to always have survey of the room he was in – he sat down with Daniel across from him.

“I have a brilliant proposal, my friend,” Daniel smiled. “It’s totally awesome.”

“Mmm something tells me I should be nervous,” he murmured in reply as he typed a quick text to Ivet. He had recently gotten her a phone; nothing fancy but he wanted a way to always have a way to get a hold of her. Just in case.

“Don’t be dramatic. It’s cool, I swear.”

Sighing, Venc said “Alright let’s hear it. It better be good.”

“Tattoos.”

Venc stared at his friend in front of him. “Tattoos.”

With a huge smile on his face, the blonde replied “Yes.”

“How about you grab us some drinks and we’ll think about your stupidity after?”

He rolled his eyes and said “One? It’s not stupid. It’s gonna be so cool.” He gestured to his own tattoo on his neck. It was a wolf; a family emblem of some sort. “This is way cool. Hence, tattoos are way cool. Two? You’re driving. I don’t plan on dying today. I have a life ahead of me. I want kids you know.”

“With the fifty different women you sleep with?” Okay it wasn’t actually fifty but Daniel was the playboy type. He liked to ‘try all flavors.’ It actually bugged Venc. He didn’t really like people like that.

“Fuck you,” he laughed. “No. I’m going to find myself the perfect woman and marry her. And then have like four kids.”

“Never pegged you as the children kinda guy.”

Shrugging, Daniel replied “Kids are awesome.” He broke into laughter. “Okay kids suck but _my kids_ will be amazing. I kinda find kids to be annoying. But I’m talking like five years at least in the future. Not now.”

Thinking for a minute, Venc murmured “I think I’d like kids. At least two so they have someone to play with.”

“Good number,” Daniel nodded. Standing, he said as he walked away “I’ll grab a beer for me and a soda for you.”

“Ass,” Venc muttered under his breath. He was dying for a beer but Daniel had a point.

Sighing as he waited, he thought about getting a tattoo. It’d be cool maybe. He didn’t know what to get though. Also he was being slightly hypocritical because he did actually have a tattoo already. It was small and on his ankle. He got it when he turned fourteen – with Ivo’s supervision and approval of course. It had hurt like a complete bitch but Venc figured that sense he was twenty now, he could take the pain. Hell, since then he’s been shot.

A tattoo can’t be worse than that.

His tattoo was the same that Ivo had. The same that Yulian and Timotei had. Even the same as Nikolai and Asen. It was the same as every person in the mob. They had them in different places and generally in different sizes but still the same design.

It was the insignia of the mob. Anyone who joined and proved themselves in a matter of a few months got one. It was more of a ‘you have to get it.’ Almost like the mob owned you now.

And there was some truth to that. Once you were in, there was no getting out. A couple people had been given permission to leave but it was a hell of a process.

Eyes flicking up when Daniel came back with their drinks, Venc said as he took his “I’ve got a better idea.”

Daniel groaned in sadness. “Tattoos are awesome, Venc. C’mon.”

“You’re gonna like my idea, I swear.” He took a sip of his coke and then looked at it. “Where’s my ice? Fucking rude my dude.”

“No ice for a tattoo refuser,” Daniel replied and stuck out his tongue.

Rolling his eyes, Venc said “So childish.”

“Whatever. Let’s hear your probably lame-ass idea.”

Setting his drink on the table, Venc stared into Daniel’s blue eyes and said “Racing.”

Nodding slowly, Daniel replied “Racing.”

“Racing.”

“Drag?”

“The strip isn’t too far.”

Still nodding, Daniel narrowed his eyes and said “Drag racing.”

“Drag racing.”

A smile cracked onto his friend’s face as he laughed “I’m so down. Oh man that’s gonna be fun. You, my friend, are going to lose.”

Raising a brow, Venc took a sip of his soda and stuck up a finger. “One? I’d kick your ass in seconds. I learned from the best.” Raising his thumb, he added “Two? We aren’t racing each other.”

“Ivo isn’t the best,” Daniel grumbled. “I could probs beat him.”

“Notice there how you said ‘probs?’ Meaning you have doubts. Which you should. He’s fucking amazing.”

He rolled his eyes and went back to the subject at hand. “If we aren’t racing each other, then…what?”

“We go back to my place and pick up your car. Then we drive to the strip and we race someone for titles. Then we win ourselves a car.”

Daniel’s eyes went huge. “Why do we have to bet my car?”

“Because I can’t afford to buy myself a new one, stupid. I doubt we’ll lose but just in case.”

Looking slightly confused, Daniel asked “Aren’t you rich?”

“Seriously? Have you seen the tiny apartment I live in? It may have three rooms but it’s small.” Rich? From what? Where would Daniel even get an idea like that?

“What about Ivo?”

Now it was his turn to be confused. “What about him?”

His friend looked at him like he was stupid or something. “He’s rich.”

“Okay… what’s that have to do with anything?”

“Doesn’t that kinda make you rich? Doesn’t he give you lots of shit whenever? Pay you lots of money?”

Taking another sip of soda, Venc clarified “I get stuff for Christmas and my birthday. That’s it. Sometimes if he sees something that he knows I’d like, he’ll get me it but that’s it. And my pay is just like the other advisors – except Yulian’s. He gets way more than anyone else even though he’s not on the board.”

All the advisors had tried to turn Yulian against Ivo when he was demoted. They wanted him to take over; practically attempt a coup. But you would never find anyone more loyal than him.

Yulian had gone the next day and told Ivo about the dissenters. They were removed within the hour. His position may have become lower but nothing else had – his pay was the same and Ivo would take his word over anyone’s. His was high in power but not by name.

Ivo enjoyed playing games. Even Venc wasn’t privy to the one him and Yulian were playing at. The demotion had made no sense to him but he wasn’t told the reason no matter how many times he asked about it.

And probably never would be told.

“Well, I’m sure the amount an advisor makes is a lot. But I woulda thought that Ivo would give you whatever the hell you wanted.”

Shaking his head, Venc replied “Ivo worked hard for his money. He says that I have to too. The only one who gets a free ride is Joseph. But even he is expected to go to college and get a good career. Once he does then no more money. He’s gotta make it for himself.”

“The money from your pay doesn’t cover a car?” Daniel just seemed so utterly lost in the whole subject. Maybe it was because he was born into money and his parents were never going to cut him off.

Shrugging, he said “It can. I’ve saved a lot but it’s for Ivet. I don’t want her to ever have to worry about not having anything.” They had gone through enough of that when his parents had left them. Vencislav was never going to let Ivet or his bába feel that way again.

“Wow…that’s really good of you.”

“My parents never did anything for her. She doesn’t even remember them; she was too little when they left. I always swore that’d I’d do everything. For her and for bába.”

A smile came on Daniel’s face as he murmured “Johanna picked good.”

 

After finishing their drinks and picking up Daniel’s car, they drove to the strip. Vencislav had been there a few times; always with Ivo. It was more fun when you had a friend with you.

Parking up close, they got out and sat on the hood to watch the current racers. If he was being honest with himself, Daniel could probably beat him. Venc was good but something told him Daniel was better. He could tell just from the way he handled his car.

It was a lot like the way that Ivo handled his.

He wanted to win a car today. It didn’t have to be him specifically. Venc just liked the feeling of winning. It was so satisfying.

His eyes caught on a purple Mitsu. It was with a girl and she was alone. They’d have to race as singles then. If she had someone with her, then Venc could have sat shotgun with Daniel.

Whatever. It wasn’t a problem.

Nudging Daniel beside him, Venc nodded to the girl. “Race her.”

Looking between the Venc and the girl, Daniel raised a brow and said “You plan on cheating on my sister?”

“You’re a fucking idiot. I want the car, not the girl. Ask to play for titles.”

“Ah of course. And what are you going to do with a purple Evo, Venc?”

“Are you being color sexist?” He shook his head to express his disappointment. “For shame, Daniel.”

Daniel was silent for a minute before he said “It’d be a close race.”

Venc knew that which was why he suggested titles. No idiot raced their car against someone for titles if it wasn’t going to be close. “She’s 0 to 60 in…5.5? 5.4? Your car is about the same. Go for it. You say you’re a kickass racer.”

Making a face as though he was offended, Daniel said in a hurt voice “My feelings. Friends don’t mock each other, bastard.”

“Go win me the fucking car and I’ll apologize.”

Narrowing his eyes, Daniel asked “If I win the car, why do you get to keep it?”

Rolling his eyes, Venc muttered “You’re the rich one, remember?”

Breaking into laughter, Daniel called as he walked to the girl “That I am!”

 

 

Driving to Ivo’s warehouse, Venc and Daniel pulled into the gates after the guards opened them. The dogs, of course, barked but when they realized who it was, they got bored and moved on. He wasn’t Joseph to get smothered with licks of love.

And he was happy about that.

He was surprised though, when Ivo came walking out from the warehouse. Venc didn’t expect him to be here this time of night. Ivo must have gone home before coming here because he was in sweats and a sweatshirt and, despite it being night and having no need for it, a baseball cap too.

Making a face like he was impressed but kind of mockingly, Ivo ran his hand along the roof of the Mitsu. “This is nice.”

Leaning on his new car, Venc replied “That it is.”

“I won it,” Daniel piped in. Vencislav could tell he was aiming for some type of approval from Ivo.

But he knew that Ivo would never give it. It took years for anyone to earn respect from him.

Nodding, Ivo examined the car some more. “What are you gonna do with it? And why bring it here?” He was probably assuming that it was Daniel’s since he won the car.

“I figured,” Venc started, “That you wouldn’t mind it taking a spot in the warehouse until I have somewhere to put it.”

Venc knew that Ivo was surprised even though his face didn’t show it. “I thought he won it?”

“He did but he gave it to me.”

“I can always buy one if I want. I just more wanted to enjoy a race,” Daniel said while eyeing the dogs. Lud was staring at him a few feet away; it was kind of freaky.

“Ah, I see.” Ivo looked to Venc and asked “So what are you going to do with it?”

“I’m actually gonna save it for Ivet. I want it to be her sixteenth birthday present.”

Smiling, Ivo replied “She’s got two more years, you know.”

“Duh, I know. But I saw it and felt like it would be perfect. So take care of it for me so it’ll be ready for her. I want to go down in the record books as thee awesomest big bro ever.”

Ivo broke into a laugh and snorted “Your lazy ass will take care of it. Mine will only do that when you become unable to. Not before.”


	8. New Ties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel hoping to establish a new ally in Ivo. Fits in that timeline gap between chpts 93 and 94

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by the awesome Hatty Hattington. Thank you dude

Nervously sitting in his car, he stared out at the hospital. He clenched the steering wheel tight in his hands to the point where his knuckles turned white. He couldn’t believe it but fuck.

Daniel was terrified.

When was the last time that he was so freaking scared? He had no idea.

“Scratch that,” Daniel laughed, kind of hysterically though if anyone asked, he’d never admit it. “When I was trapped in my bedroom with a dog and a psychopath.”

He didn’t think it was possible but he clutched the wheel even tighter and dug his nails into his palms. That fucking psychopath. Murdered not only Daniel’s father but his mother too.

Okay maybe he understood why but it didn’t mean that they deserved to die. Yes, they were the causes of Venc’s death but…they were his parents. He didn’t want them dead even if it was all their fucking faults that he lost a good friend and Johanna lost a wonderful man.

Hitting his head into his steering wheel and, thankfully, not blaring the horn from it, Daniel blew out the most exhausted breath he could. Since he was little, his father had been grooming him to take over their booming family business but…

Jesus, he thought he’d get to enjoy life a bit more before all the weight came crashing down on him.

It seemed that there was a lot that Daniel had no idea about their business. Obviously, he knew there were tons of illegal dealings and connections – hell, the Russians that ruined everything – but it was much more than he had been told. So much of their business here relied on what connections they had with mobs and mafias. So much so that any decision that had to be made had to be consulted with the respective mob that it affected.

In short, being King was fucking hell. He hated it.

Maybe it was just because he had to restructure a currently broken empire that had some shit on its name because of those stupid fucking Russians. Daniel had always enjoyed when he was doing business with his father but now it was just a stupid chore that he really didn’t want.

But he was stuck with it unless he wanted to haul it all on Johanna.

And he’d never do that to his sister. Not in a million years.

With restructuring came things like not only cutting ties but also building new ones. And Daniel knew that he definitely needed ties with the man he came to visit.

Despite how utterly terrifying and wrong this impromptu meeting could go.

Taking one last breath, Daniel grabbed his keys and got out of the car, locking it as he did. As he walked into the hospital, he realized that he hadn’t taken into account the fact that guards might be posted at their lord’s door. He had been hoping for pure uninterrupted privacy without anyone knowing that he had come.

All he could do was cross his fingers and hope for the best.

Stopping at the nurses’ station, Daniel put on his best smile and asked the older woman behind the desk “If I may, can I get the number for Ivo Kavinsky, please?”

Frowning for a minute, the old lady said “Usually I’d say no to rich looking boys just to show them that they can’t have everything they want but…” Daniel held his breath in hope, “I suppose sense you are so polite, you can have it.”

“Thank you,” he breathed in relief. “I truly appreciate it.”

She merely hummed in reply as she typed into the computer. Finally, she informed “Room 127. He just had surgery a couple days ago, so don’t work him up and he better not move in anyway. Got it?”

“Completely,” he smiled. “Thank you again.”

“Shoo.”

Still wearing his smile, Daniel gave her nod and walked off in search of the room. When he found the hallway that it was in, he paused at the edge of it when his eyes caught on a blonde man he knew standing in front of the door, speaking with a nurse.

“Shit,” he muttered.

Yulian wasn’t such an issue but Daniel still would prefer that no one saw him.

But then…maybe having Yulian there was a good thing. From the times he had sat in on his parents’ discussions with the Russians about the Bulgarians, it was always noted that of the two, Yulian was the level headed one. He wasn’t even an advisor which had always confused Daniel but he had noticed how Ivo would always take his brother-in-law’s opinion into account.

“I can do this,” he mini pep talked himself while shaking out his shoulders. “So got this.”

Putting out his usual air of confidence even though he definitely wasn’t feeling it, Daniel walked over to the mobster whom had just finished speaking with the nurse. Yulian had caught sight of him and his face quickly went blank.

“Daniel.”

“My lord,” he replied while sticking out his hand for a greeting. Yulian took the offered hand and shook it.

Not an inch of surprise showed on his face and Daniel wasn’t sure if it was because he actually expected him to show up or Yulian was that good at hiding his expression. Both were reasonably possible. “Can I help you?”

“In truth, I was hoping to speak with Lord Kavinsky. I understand that he isn’t at his best at the time being but it is most urgent.”

He was contemplated for a few seconds before the older man replied “Good luck.”

Daniel felt himself flinch in surprise. “That’s it? You’re just letting me go in without asking me what about or anything?”

Still with that blank face, Yulian replied “I know what it’s about. If you’d like some unofficial advice?”

“Anything I could get.”

“Insulting the intelligence of one who grants you good favor is a very bad idea. Also? You came and held yourself with confidence despite how nervous you are. That’s good but you should have held it instead of blustering into unsurety. The more you show your fear and nerves, the more people are going to take advantage of them.”

Wringing his hands because he was already found out, Daniel muttered “I suppose picking my words better would be a good idea.”

“Incredibly so. You’re now a big business leader, Daniel. You can’t think like spoiled Prince Daniel anymore because that’s not going to get you anywhere at all. Possibly dead, actually. Big business, especially the one with ties to organized crime, is a very dangerous sandbox to play in.”

“Definitely,” Daniel murmured as images of his dead parents flashed before his eyes.

“Going in there begging? I don’t advise it.”

Biting his lip and hoping that his lesson in hell would continue so he’d at least get some sort of handle on what he was stuck in, Daniel asked “What would you advise?”

A small smile quirked on the other man’s lips. “Ignoring the fact that this sounds mildly treasonous to my lord, I would advice a couple things. One. Don’t offend. That should be obvious. You offend anyone and they are far less inclined to not only do you favors but also work out something that is fair to you and your business. Two. Don’t seem like a sissy bitch because then whoever it is that your speaking with will definitely cheat you. Three? Stand up for yourself.”

“Happen to be a fourth? I could use all I can get.”

The smile grew into a laugh as Yulian placed a hand on his shoulder before he walked away. “Pray.”

“Pray,” he muttered as he watched the other man walk off. “Fucking pray.”

Breathing in and letting it out, Daniel grabbed the door handle and sent a prayer before he knocked and walked in.

The room was empty besides for Ivo on the bed and silent if you didn’t include the sounds of the machines and his slow breathing. Yulian hadn’t mentioned that he was sleeping. Waking him seemed like a bad idea.

Walking closer and settling himself in a chair beside the bed, Daniel thought about his next move. When five minutes had passed, he stood, deciding that he should probably come back.

He had reached the door when a slightly slurred voice stopped him. “You’re gonna have to say something, you know.”

Turning back to the bed, Daniel replied “You were awake the whole time, weren’t you.”

“Opening my eyes seemed like too much effort.”

Clearing his throat as he sat back down, Daniel began “My lord, I-”

“Stop.”

“Stopping,” he whispered. The fear coursing through him was something he couldn’t stop.

Ivo turned his head to look at Daniel. _Damn, he looks like shit._ “Where are you?”

“Huh?” Maybe the drugs were muddling his sharp mind to the point where he didn’t realize what he was saying.

Gesturing to the expanse of the room with his left arm because the other was in a brace, Ivo repeated “Where are you?”

Taking a quick glance around, Daniel replied “A hospital room. Your hospital room.” Ivo gave him a look that meant he was expecting him to continue. He wasn’t sure what exactly what he was continuing but he winged it. “I’m in the hospital visiting you…”

Rolling his eyes like Daniel was such a complete idiot, Ivo supplied “You’re here visiting me. The lord you hope to strike a business and peace treaty with. The lord who just came off his second surgery and will murder anyone for some more fucking pain medicine. If I was a friend, what would you have done?”

Realization dawned on him. “I should have brought something with me. Both as a goodwill gesture and a sign that I hope you will recover. It would have put me in better favor. I apologize; I wasn’t thinking.”

“Jesus Christ, kid, I thought you’ve been groomed for this position since you were potty trained.”

Daniel could feel heat flaring in his cheeks from his embarrassment. “It’s entirely different than what I was expecting. There’s a lot he never told me apparently.”

“So he’s a fuckshit, huh?”

“Is…that a thing?”

With a small smile on his bruised face, Ivo replied “It is today. I think I like that word; I should use it more often.” He groaned as he tried to sit up; Daniel wasn’t sure if he should help or if he had to ask first. “Any day now.”

“Sorry.” He jumped from his chair and helped the lord sit straight. “I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to touch without asking.”

“Fair enough,” the Bulgarian huffed. “Push the nurse button, would you?”

Nodding, Daniel pressed the button on the remote that was beside Ivo. “Can I ask something unwork related?” he asked as he sat back down.

“Go for it.”

“Why are you and Lord Simeonov giving me advice if technically I’m not a friendly?”

“I thought it was unwork related.”

Getting comfortable in the chair and feeling a little less nervous now that they were a tad less formal, Daniel replied “Not treaty business related, I guess.”

“Because you need it and will probably end up dead in a few months for pissing off people or being stupid. I’m the only one who’s allowed to kill you.” Daniel’s stomach did a tiny flop from those words. A noise erupted from Ivo that he thought might be laugh but it sounded weird “Don’t worry, not killing you anytime soon. I’m kinda bed ridden.”

“Ha, yeah…”

Still smiling, Ivo added “Plus, if I get into favor with one of the largest German business on the other side of the river…I ain’t complaining.”

He nodded as there was a knock and the nurse walked in. “You squealed?”

Daniel’s eyes went wide. Did this woman not know who she was talking to or just didn’t care?

If the nurse’s words were shocking, Ivo’s reaction was even more so. He wasn’t even offended. “I don’t squeal,” he snorted in amusement.

“Uhuh,” the nurse laughed as she leaned in the foot of the bed. “Tell that to someone who’ll believe you and hasn’t heard you. What’s up?”

“I’m out of water. And straws. And I’m in so much fucking pain that I think you’re lying every time you push the morphine button.”

Shaking her head as she laughed, the nurse replied “You get your dose, don’t worry. Anything besides water and straws?”

“Yeah, I dropped Lord Hideous on the floor and I can’t reach.”

“You better have not tried to. I will have you strapped to the bed, Ivo. You shouldn’t be moving.” The nurse walked to the other side of the bed and stooped down picking up the ugliest stuffed animal Daniel had ever seen. What even was it?

Accepting back whatever the hell animal that was, Ivo replied with a huge smile “Whoa. I didn’t know you and Raul were into that kind of kinky stuff. The more you know.”

The nurse started to choke on her laughter. “I don’t even know what to say to you sometimes and I also don’t know if I even want to dignify that with a response.”

“You should probably correct me before I start making jokes of it to him.”

Shaking her head as she grabbed the empty water pitcher, the nurse snorted “Our sex life happens to be private, Ivo. It’s not like I’m asking about you and Vesela.”

Holding the ugly plush to his chest, Ivo said “So you guys really are kinky. Huh… Tell him to visit today so I can embarrass the hell out of him.”

“Whether we’re kinky or not will forever remain a mystery to you,” she laughed as she walked to the door. “I’ll be back. Oh and call him yourself.”

Once she walked out, Daniel said “What the hell is that thing.”

Looking confused for a second before he caught on, the Bulgarian lord replied while holding up the thing “This? It’s Lord Hideous. Joseph gave him to me for company while I’m here. The hideous lord is apparently an expert at cuddling and so far, I have found this to be true.”

“But what is it?”

“A cat.”

Daniel squinted a bit. “If you squint, yeah, I guess.”

Ivo turned the plush’s face to himself and stared. “Yeah…but he’s still a damn good cuddler so I overlook his ugliness.”

He was here for business but Daniel figured the more informal and friendly they got, the better. “Uh, did Joseph actually name him that?”

“Nah, that’s the name I use. Real name is Mr. Cat. He was seven, don’t judge.”

With a smile, he replied “No judging. Johanna has a badger named Badger. She was sixteen.”

Making himself slightly more comfortable with Lord Hideous curled in his good arm, Ivo said “So?”

Biting his lip, Daniel murmured “Are we starting?”

“Yes. I’m exhausted and need sleep.”

“Oh, okay then.” Steeling himself and sitting up straight, Daniel began “My lord, I wanted to begin by saying that I understand that my predecessors colluded with the Russians of Brighton in heinous acts against not only your organization but also your family. And for that, I’d like to extend my sincerest apologies and also my regret that such things came to pass.”

It was pretty cool watching ‘business Ivo’ flicker on. It was almost like the man had three parts of himself – Ivo, mobster/businessman, and crazy terrifying psychopathic boogeyman.

Daniel liked just plain old Ivo the best.

“The fact that you recognize these acts is a promising sign,” Lord Kavinsky started, “And possibly a flicker of hope that better days will come to pass between our respective people. But you must understand that while the personal factor of the heinous crimes has been taken care of and accepted as proper payment, those committed against my organization have not.”

Already planning for this, Daniel was feeling a little more confident because of all the planning and practicing he had done. However, he paused before he continued as the friendly nurse knocked and came back in with both water and straws. Also what looked like a cup of coffee.

She poured a glass, then set the pitcher on the table beside the coffee and dropped a straw into the cup. “Here,” she murmured, holding the straw to his mouth.

Drinking what seemed like the whole cup, Ivo gave her a thank you once he had finished. Sparkles of hope glittered in the man’s eyes as he looked at the coffee. “That-”

“No,” she laughed, picking up the cup. “You know you’re not allowed caffeine right now.”

His face turned slightly dejected as he said “I need coffee. I haven’t had in like a week. I’m dying.”

“You drink it and you will be,” the nurse replied as she handed the cup to Daniel, to his surprise.

“Uh…thank you?”

“Enjoy it,” she smiled. He had to say, he really liked her smile. “You look like you need it.”

“Wow, playing favorites, Claudia?” Ivo said in mock sadness. “I’m hurt. I mean, I let you see my dick and everything.”

“Like hell you are.” She paused a minute at the open door before adding “And putting a catheter in does not count as a showing.” With that she walked out and shut the door. Daniel was amazed at how friendly and casual they were between each other. For God’s sake, they were flirting for fun. Who was she?

Taking a sip of his coffee as a depressed Ivo looked on, Daniel picked up where they left off. “I understand that and I hope to see it fixed.”

“There’s quite a lot that you need to be offering to see it fixed.”

Something else he also knew. He had spent two days calculating everything that his parents and the Russians had ripped off the Bulgarians by not only raiding their warehouses but also downright theft from their suppliers. That was barely the beginning of it.

It was definitely a lot. His business was going to be in debt for a long while. Technically, the Russians were supposed to assist by half because they were part of the mess but he knew he’d get no help from them. Plus, Daniel figured that by willingly doing it all, he’d be in even better favor. Anyways, he had a special fund for the Russian’s part.

“I’ll see it done. Not only for the entirety of what my predecessors committed but also the full amount of what the Russians did.”

Ivo didn’t react. But then, Daniel didn’t expect him to. The man had been doing this for more than half his life; hiding a reaction was child’s play to him. “Very generous of you.”

“I’d like for you to see the extent of the goodwill and hand of hope that I am extending.”

“You’d pay your allies debt?”

“Former allies. All ties have been cut, my lord. They serve me no good and have only caused damaging troubles.”

He won a raised eyebrow out of that. “You hope to establish those ties with me.”

Something told him that he needed to show that he understood the game. By throwing himself at the Bulgarians, Daniel was worried he’d be perceived as weak and a little too eager to please.

“Not only have they put me in a bad position but they themselves are truly not worth the alliance. They are unstructured and fail to run by the rules and laws set into place. Having a volatile ally that may turn on me at any second does not favor my interests. For that matter, they are incredibly weak at moment with the assassination of their lord and the disappearance of their second. I have no intention of allying myself with those whose ranks are filled with treasonous people.”

It wasn’t true obviously. Both he and Ivo knew exactly who killed Yakovlev and why no one could find Aiken. But the theory going around the mob and mafia circles – even in gang unit in the NYPD _and_ NJSP – was that Aiken had murdered his lord himself and stolen millions from the Russians’ accounts, disappearing as to not be tried and executed.

The money was actually in Daniel’s funds. He had people funnel it out of the Russians’ accounts to his own a few days ago while he had been putting in place his plan on how to talk to Ivo and gain his favor. The money was what was going to pay the Russian’s part of the debt.

By voicing the lie that was going around, Daniel wanted to show that he was more than willing to be a loyal ally to the Bulgarians by not throwing their lord into the flames.

Ivo seemed to have liked what he said because after a moment he replied “I believe you and I have quite a lot to speak about. The hand of peace is extended to you and your people. Lord Simeonov is somewhere in the hospital. Find him and we’ll begin.”


	9. Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vesela showing up at Nikol's. Coincides w/ chpt 105/6

“Mayko! Tétka’s here!”

Groaning as she sat up, Nikol cursed Yulian even farther than hell and back for getting her pregnant. Okay, so technically they had been trying for another but still.

She was just fucking exhausted.

Slowly making her way downstairs to see what was up with Vesela, Nikol wondered if installing one of those chairs that carried you up and down stairs would seem stupid. The baby was due in March so she still had two months to go. A chair would be fucking fantastic now that she was giving it serious thought.

But all thoughts stopped once she saw her sister’s face.

“Did he touch you?” If he broke his promise, Nikol didn’t care that she was seven months pregnant, she’d make him suffer so bad.

A small glistening of surprise flashed through her sister’s tear-ridden face. “No.”

Nodding, she walked over and grabbed her younger sibling’s arm and dragged her upstairs. Once they reached the guest room that Vesela used, Nikol shoved her inside and slammed the door shut. She pointed at the bed, “Sit your ass down.”

Sniffling, Vesela dropped her bags on the floor and sat upon the edge of the bed. “The fact that you’re not even wondering kinda pisses me off.”

 _Oh for…_ “Pisses you off? What kind of idiot are you? For fucking sakes, Vesela, what the hell?” Nikol made her way over and sat beside her sister. Standing and looming would be more effective but her feet were swollen and ached like a complete bitch.

She’d just have to be intimidating while sitting.

Well, as intimidating as a pregnant lady can be.

Wiping her eyes, Vesela murmured shakily “The biggest kind of idiot. Always will be apparently.”

Nikol wanted to blow. She wanted to yell, she wanted to scream but God fuck it, what good would it do? It didn’t seem to work last time. “Start from the beginning.”

Staring down at her hands in her lap, she whispered “He found the phone I use for…for Johnny.”

Johnny. “High school football Johnny?” Vesela nodded. “The same dude who you cheated on Ivo with last time?” Another nod. “I don’t know if I’m happy or mad that it’s the same guy. One, it at least makes you seem like less of a bitch searching for random guys. But then…sense it’s the same guy…” Nikol’s heart jumped nervously as she glanced at her sister beside her. “Tell me no.”

“I can’t,” came the whisper. “I love them both.”

“Oh my God…” she groaned into her hands, “I have such an urge to slap you.”

“Well you might as well,” Vesela whispered, “Ivo somehow managed not to.”

“He promised,” she replied simply, “And remind me to thank him later for keeping that promise to me.”

With eyebrows scrunching in her confusion, Vesela stared at her with her bloodshot emerald eyes. “What do you mean ‘to you?’ He promised me but I don’t remember anything about you.”

Dragging her aching feet up onto the bed and sitting a bit more comfortably, Nikol replied “He promised you from the last time this happened. He promised me in August.”

“August…”

“Yeah, August you stupid idiot. In August, your husband invited me to lunch and asked me if I thought you were cheating on him. Do you know why he asked? Because he already figured you were but he thought that just maybe he was paranoid. Seeing things.”

Biting her nail, Vesela mumbled “We haven’t had sex since August.”

“Huh,” Nikol mockingly wondered, “Why do you think that is? Oh wait, let me help you. Maybe it’s because he couldn’t bring himself to make love to the woman who was busy giving it to another guy! Wait, wait! Not just any woman! His FUCKING WIFE!”

Yeah, she needed to yell. Get it out of her system.

Pent up feelings weren’t good for the baby.

“I mean for fuck’s sake, Vesela! I can’t even get angry at him! This is all your fault! I can’t even hold anything against the stupid piece of shit!” Her sister had tears running down her face as she sniffled. “Vesela, if you don’t want Ivo anymore, divorce him. If you can’t do this marriage anymore then God fucking dammit, end it. Serve him papers and go get your baby.”

If it had been Nikol, there was no way in hell that she would have left her children behind her. Yulian was their father and he loved them but her kids go where she goes. There was no other option. How Vesela always seemed to leave Joseph amazed her. How did she survive being away from her child?

“I’m not divorcing him,” Vesela said firmly with her eyes flashing in her defiance.

“Then what,” Nikol replied tiredly, “What, Vesela.”

Looking defeated, Vesela murmured “I don’t know. But honestly… I think the divorce will come from him.”

Rolling her eyes, she snorted “Don’t be stupid. He’s so freakin’ obsessed with you, he wouldn’t know how to survive without having you in his life. No way in hell he’ll ever divorce you even if you deserve it.” The last part was a bit harsh but hell, Vesela deserved it.

“He took my ring.”

Nikol must have heard wrong; baby brain was fucking with her or something. “What?”

“My ring,” Vesela whispered with her voice broken into shatters, “He took back my wedding ring.”

Yanking her sister’s left hand to her, she stared at her empty fingers. He took the ring. Ivo actually took back the ring.

She couldn’t believe it.

“He took off his too. Then he told me to pack my shit and get out of his house.” Fresh tears were streaming all over again. “And I couldn’t bring myself to take Joseph. I wanted to so bad but I knew that he’d rather be home than here. His life is a complete mess, I don’t have the right to take away the only stability he has which is home. His room. His things. Peanut. That’s not fair.”

It was more thoughtful than she had expected. She just thought that Vesela hadn’t even bothered. “Please tell me he wasn’t nearby when you guys fought?”

Laughing, Vesela snorted “He was sitting on the bed. I think they had been looking for something and then…yeah…”

Jesus Christ. As if Joseph hasn’t heard enough shit, he had to listen to Vesela and Ivo. “Fantastic…” She wondered if Ivo hadn’t hit Vesela only because Joseph was in the room. “You said he didn’t touch you.”

Vesela nodded. “I swear. He didn’t even get close to me. Broke a few things but that’s it.” A small laugh escaped her lips, “Screamed his head off too. Joseph was terrified.”

 _That’s because Ivo can be fucking terrifying. But at least he stuck to the promise._ “So no hitting, grabbing, pulling…?”

Shaking her head with her hair falling out of her bun, Vesela replied “Nothing. You can check if you want.”

It was meant to be rhetorical but fuck if she wasn’t going to take the offer. “Stand up.”

Eyebrows high, Vesela asked “Seriously?”

“Yeah, you offered. Shirt, pants, tank top. All off. Lemme look at you.”

Rolling her eyes but standing nonetheless, Vesela yanked her shirt off the top of her head and soon followed with her tank top. There was nothing that Nikol saw besides the flawlessness of her sister’s beautiful skin.

Okay so maybe she was slightly jealous. Nikol had a couple stretch marks that made her self-conscious sometimes. She couldn’t help it. You couldn’t even tell that Vesela had a baby and a boob job and yeah, that kind of pissed of Nikol too. Her sister was all perfect smooth skin and perky breasts.

She hadn’t really made them bigger, just perkier. It had been about a year after Joseph had been born and Vesela kept swearing she didn’t feel pretty. Nikol had told her a thousand times that she looked fantastic and Ivo had done the same. But her sister was never convinced. She went a few weeks later to a doctor and came back with happier looking boobs.

Nikol thought they looked so great that you couldn’t even tell. She had almost been convinced to get hers done.

Almost but not quite.

Ivo on the other hand?

Wouldn’t talk to Vesela for two months because of the procedure. He had been beyond pissed saying that she was perfect the way she was. Why did she have to be fucking stupid and do this to herself? If anyone asked him his opinion now more than a decade later, he’d still hate on it.

Shucking off her pants, Vesela stood and did a quick turn. “See? Nothing. Can I get dressed now?”

Giving her sister one last once over, Nikol nodded. There was nothing and she let out a huge sigh of relief because of it while Vesela got dressed. There was a knock and a second later Yulian stuck his head in. “Anka said we have a permanent looking visitor.” Nikol’s brow raised at the snarkiness coming through his voice.

“Shove it,” Vesela snapped as Yulian came all the way in, shutting the door and leaning on it with arms crossed.

Nikol was missing something.

Shrugging from where he stood, Yulian replied “I told you. I told you to figure out what the fuck you’re doing and you said thank you and I will. Either you didn’t or you thought this plan was a smart one. Obviously, it wasn’t because here you are. Granted no bruises but hey, progress comes in baby steps.”

Okay she was really missing something here. If there was one thing she really hated, it was being left out of important conversations. “Told her…?”

Somehow, despite all the years she’s looked into them, Yulian’s piercing eyes always gave her shivers from their intensity. “I did. Almost a year ago. After I brought Joseph home from Jersey City yelling at his mother’s adulter.”

“What?” Both she and Vesela exclaimed at the same time.

“You told me you guys ran into each other,” Vesela noted. “Nothing about Jersey City.”

“We ran into each other in Jersey City. I had business to do and was walking back to the car when the voice of my nephew caught my ears as he yelled at this man about only having to worry about when the next time the guy gets to fuck you is.”

Nikol felt her eyes go wide. Was this Yulian’s language or Joseph’s actual words? Her father would be spinning circles in his grave if he knew.

“He wouldn’t tell me what was going on though. Kept telling me that I didn’t see anything. Despite how visibly pissed he was, he covered for your idiotic ass which I imagine is what he’s been doing for awhile now.”

“Out shopping,” Nikol sighed in defeat. He’d definitely been covering for her all this time.

Vesela’s shoulders slumped as she stared down at the floor. “I know.”

“Honestly?” Yulian continued, “If you had brought him with you? I’d tell him to go back to the person who at least has never lied to him or made him lie and put him in shitty positions.”

“I get it, I messed up.”

His eyes rolled even better than Ivo could manage. “Oh well, that’s fantastic. She gets it.”

“I’m sure you’re soo happy that you were right,” Vesela snapped as her anger flared at his condescending tone. “Happy that I’m ringless and probably going to lose him for good.”

He raised a finger to count. Her husband was more American than Bulgarian – his first language was English, he hadn’t really known much of his culture, and he counted in the American style rather than European. He was the oddball of them all. “One. I’m not fucking happy that your life is shit. I think of you like one of my sisters and I’d never want them to be unhappy in life. Two?” He raised another finger. “Despite how much you deserve to lose him, he’d never divorce you.”

“He. Took. My. Ring.”

Another eyeroll. “Vesela, if you actually believe that Ivo can survive without you then you don’t know your husband at all. And if you were so fucking worried about ending up losing him, you shouldn’t have been fucking someone behind his back.”

Playing with a strand of hair, Vesela asked quietly “You don’t think he’ll leave me?”

“Do you?” Her husband asked with a brow raised.

Her sister was silent for a time before finally murmuring “If it were up to him last time and not tate, he would have got me that morning.”

“Now who’s it up to?”

“Him. So…he’ll take me back.” A smile grew on Vesela’s face, “He’ll take me back.”

 

  

* * *

 

Yulian sighed as he grabbed a Hershey’s from the drawer. It was only half meaning that technically he was stealing someone’s unfinished food but it was their fault for leaving it to be taken.

He practically jumped out of his skin when Andrey’s voice cut the silence. “That was mine.”

Turning around and taking a bite of the chocolate, Yulian stared at his eldest. “It’s called sharing. Also I think I need it.”

“You coulda ate Anka’s Almond Joy.”

“Don’t like almonds,” he replied while taking another huge bite. “And no. I couldn’t eat around them. Too much effort.”

Andrey rolled his eyes and sat down on one of the chairs to the island. “So…” Yulian raised a questioning brow. “What’s gonna happen with tétka?”

“What do you want to happen?”

“Why do you always have to make everything a question,” his son groaned. “Can’t you just give your opinion for once?”

“I’m asking for yours,” he replied as he threw away the wrapper and took out Anka’s chocolate. A smile unbiddenly grew on his face as he took the first bite with Andrey glaring at him.

“I know you are. You always turn everyone’s questions on themselves. Also, I hope you choke.”

“Mean,” Yulian laughed. “Anyways, I turn people’s questions on themselves because often times they already hold the answer if they think hard enough.”

Resting his head on the granite of the island, Andrey murmured “I don’t really care if she goes back or they divorce. I just care that Joseph is stuck between them. I try talking to him more because he always seems so…I don’t know…like there’s so much pent up inside. But he never wants to. Kinda worries me.”

 _You and me both._ “You don’t think he talks to Emilio?”

“I know he does but I think it’s probably like the bare minimum which isn’t enough.”

Throwing the almonds and the wrapper away, Yulian replied “No it isn’t but you can’t force someone to talk if they don’t want to. They need to feel comfortable enough.”

“Yeah I know,” Andrey sighed, “I think tetíncho is gonna take her back. He wouldn’t know what life is without her.”

“I agree,” Yulian said as he leaned on his arms on the island. “He doesn’t know how to live without her. However, I’m going to tell him not to.”

His son’s eyes went wide. “Why would you do that? Don’t you want them fixed?”

Yulian nodded, “Of course I do. But look at it differently – she cheated the first time and had it been in his hands and not your grandfather’s, he would have taken her back that da-”

“But that was different,” Andrey interrupted, “Maybe he was feeling guilty because of…you know…”

“Let’s say he was. He beat her for cheating, yes?” Andrey nodded, “He beat for cheating and yet here we are years later and what has happened?”

“She did it again.”

“She did it again and with the same man. Ivo had absolutely no right to touch her, that goes without having to be said, but he touched her and yet that did not stop her from cheating on him once more. Because her life went back the same exact way it was. Nothing changed.”

Sitting up while in his thoughts, Andrey said “So you’re saying that she needs to see that something can change.”

“Exactly. If he wants my advice, I’d tell him to wait. To make her sit and stew and wonder. To make her realize if life without him is what she wants. Because, to be honest, if she cheats again, hell, _I’ll_ file the divorce papers for him. Forge his signature and everything. Because obviously then the marriage means nothing to her.”

“Where’s that leave Joseph?”

“Most likely here with her. Courts aren’t going to easily give custody to a known criminal whether he has a record or not.”

Andrey sighed as he nodded. “I just want him to be okay. I could care less about the adults. They can deal with their own stupid problems without always getting him stuck.”

“I feel you,” Yulian replied while nodding, “I feel you.”


	10. World Series

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> World Series time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank y'all for reading my series! He's you're gift! World Series 'party' at Ivo's.  
> Filled with lots of humor and fun!
> 
> Timelinish: October 24 2007 (between chpts 104 & 105)

“This is so fucking depressing,” Ivo muttered as he made himself comfortable on the bed in the guest room. They had ultimately decided that instead of turning the room into a sitting room, it was way better to just push the bed against the wall, adding a coffee table, and a shit ton of pillows. Way comfier. They had thrown in a bean bag chair on Joseph’s request.

Yulian was occupying said chair, slouched half on and off, looking probably more like his frat boy days than he had in years. His hair was a mess, tshirt rucked up half his body and shorts falling off his hips from all his moving. Ivo was so bored from waiting that it had come to the point where he actually wondered if Yulian was wearing underwear or not because the shorts just kept going and nothing was showing.

Thankfully, the band of his lowcut, what looked to be, boxer briefs finally showed.

Yes, Ivo was that bored where he was insane enough to determine what type of underwear the other asshole was currently wearing.

He really shouldn’t be judging Yulian’s appearance though because he was the exact same mess except wearing all black instead of grey and dark blue. And he was pretty sure his own boxer briefs weren’t as low cut. He owned a couple like that except he was almost entirely sure he wasn’t wearing one of them.

But not entirely.

Looking down his body, he compared how his underwear sat a couple inches below his navel and then leaned to look at Yulian. He was sure he saw some pubes.

Yeah, he wasn’t wearing his low cuts.

“Question while we wait,” Ivo yawned. Yulian’s gaze flicked to him. “You ever go commando?”

Shrugging and looking like it wasn’t even a weird question, Yulian replied “Couple times.”

“Good idea, bad idea…?” Not that he’d ever do it in a million years. Being free in his jeans or pants in general sounded weird.

Turning back to the television, his brother-in-law answered “Bad idea in the summer – chafing is a bitch. Bad idea in the winter – your balls freeze. Only worth it in the spring. Unless you’re swimming in the summer – worth it.”

Ivo nodded at the response. Logical.

Both of them turned their heads to look at the door when Raul popped in. “You two look like crap.”

Throwing a pillow at him, Ivo snorted “Why the fuck are you wearing jeans, it’s wrong.”

He had grabbed the pillow easily and was setting himself a spot on the floor after yanking more pillows from the bed and making a makeshift chair/pillow fort thing. “I like to be presentable unlike you two.”

“You say that and your jeans have tears in them,” Yulian snorted as he grabbed a couple chips and shoved them into his mouth.

“It’s called style, thank you.”

“I approve the black,” Ivo noted, “Not the…uh…distressing…ness of them. Why buy jeans that have natural holes? Makes no sense.”

“Maybe if you each didn’t look like complete bums with the bands of your Calvins showing, I’d take your fashion advice,” Raul said while shoving off his shoes.

Poking his friend with his toe, Ivo offered “You can borrow a pair of my shorts. No jeans in this room.”

Rolling his eyes, Raul settled himself in his pillow chair. “I’m fine.” Ivo poked him again except harder. “Stop.”

“I will pinch you with my toes,” he threatened. “No jeans allowed.”

Sighing because Ivo continued to poke and prod with his foot, Raul eventually stood and mumbled “Fine. But if I find money in your drawer, I’m stealing it. Also if I find anything illegal, I get to arrest you because technically you gave me permission to search your shit.”

After a minute of the Puerto Rican leaving them, Yulian muttered “You don’t have anything illegal in there, do you?”

“Not in that particular drawer, no.”

“And if he picks the wrong drawer.”

Ivo shrugged because he wasn’t worried. “Eh.” Yulian just hummed and turned back to the tv, not bothering to be worried because Ivo obviously wasn’t.

They sat in silence besides for the sound of eating – they’d probably finish the food before anything happened – when Raul finally showed wearing a pair of shorts, throwing his jeans at Ivo. “Enjoy them.”

Yanking them off his face, he threw them at Yulian who tossed them into a corner. “I don’t want your pants. I can’t even fit in your pants. You’re shorter than me.”

“He’s buffer than you too,” Yulian supplied very unhelpfully, “Buffer than me too.” He pointed at Raul, “Stop working out.”

“I make up my lack of height with muscles, leave me be.” Raul wasn’t short, just average. But that was shorter than both Ivo and Yulian and they never let it go. “Important question.”

“Huh…” Ivo trailed and then broke into another yawn. Fuck, he was going to die of boredom if it didn’t start soon.

“Where’s the beer? It’s not right not having beer.”

Stretching in his bean bag and causing his shorts to go even lower – Ivo could swear he could see the start of a bulge through his underwear if he stared hard enough – Yulian replied “We didn’t want to drink it all before it even started.”

Raul nodded while getting once more comfortable in his pillow pile. “Maybe you should just take them off.”

“What?” Yulian asked, blinking boredly at Raul.

“Your shorts,” Raul snorted, “I mean they aren’t really doing much anyways. Also, I didn’t know boxers come that low.”

Rolling his eyes with a smile, Yulian pulled up his shorts slightly. “I mean, if you’re looking for a show…?”

“Oh Jesus,” Ivo said with disgust, “Don’t you dare. I will legitimately murder you both today.”

“Eh,” Yulian laughed, “I don’t think he can afford my price anyways.”

Desperately wanting to shove a finger down his throat as both of the idiots laughed, he settled for poking Raul hard with his foot and throwing a pillow at Yulian. “Shut up both of you. Fucking disgusting.”

“A little flirting never killed anyone,” Raul laughed while shoving Ivo’s foot away from his shoulder. “He’s right though, I ain’t got the cash to spend on a pretty looking fuckboy.”

Yulian’s jaw dropped as Ivo exploded into raucous laughter. “Oh dear ghetto trash, you don’t wanna mess with me,” his brother-in-law eventually replied with a smile on his face.

“Pft,” Raul blew, “I can take you down in seconds. Doesn’t matter that you’re taller. I’m not only trained by law enforcement but I got seven years of banging with the Ñetas under my belt. What you got?”

Nodding and making a mock impressed face, Yulian leaned back into his bean bag and replied “About twenty years with the Bulgarian mob. Counts for something I think.”

“To make myself seem like I’m in this conversation,” Ivo drawled with his interruption, “I got twenty-one years with the same mob, not to mention growing up with my father being the head of the mob back in Bulgaria, and spending horrid months fleeing from said mob after a coup. I was also a fucking awesome badass as a kid. I say I win.”

He could tell from Raul’s face that he was dying from curiosity to ask for details but Ivo knew he wouldn’t. His friend didn’t like to invade privacy and Ivo appreciated that immensely. It was nice being able to say things or drop little details and not being bombarded with thousands of questions.

“Whose winning what?” Vesela asked curiously as she walked in with a twelve pack of beer.

“Your husband is the best to exist,” Ivo answered, “Did you know this?”

Smile playing on her face as she settled the box on the floor and stole a chip from the bowl, she replied “Maybe. Although I’d disagree and say your wife is the best to exist if we’re talking out of gendered terms.”

He laughed and gave her a smile, “But of course, my lady, my apologies.”

Ivo didn’t agree though.

Any woman who willingly cheated on their husband didn’t deserve that title.

“Enjoy!” She called as she walked out to go back and sit with her sister, Claudia, and the girls. They heard a laugh and her say “Watch where you’re walking!” and seconds later Joseph and Emilio popped into the doorway.

Joseph threw himself onto the bed beside Ivo and Emilio added pillows onto his father’s chair, joining him there. “Did it start?” Joseph asked while getting comfortable.

“Nah, they’re running late apparently.”

“Who’s playing again?” Emilio asked. Baseball wasn’t really the kid’s thing but at least he tried. His family was more into soccer which Ivo did enjoy but baseball was what owned his soul.

“Colorado Rockies and those fucking pieces of shit Red Sox,” he answered. Ivo lived and died by the Yankees. They hadn’t made it to the World Series but the fucking Red Sox did.

Those bastards.

“They’re not that bad,” Raul cut in. “You can’t just hate them because you’re a Yankees fan.”

“He’d be a horrible traitor if he liked them, Mr. Vidal,” Joseph laughed. “You’re not a true Yankees fan if you like the Red Sox. I’d never forgive him if he gave them some slack.”

“Where do you sit on this?” Emilio asked Yulian who had kept silent while nursing his first drink.

“Red Sox can go fuck themselves.”

A smile grew on Ivo’s face as he laughed “Sports bring frat boy to life! I’m so happy.”

“Go fuck yourself.”

“You in your natural state is so interesting to watch,” Emilio laughed. “You actually haven’t changed that much have you? Just hiding.”

“Shush child.”

“Sooo depressing,” Ivo interrupted with his need for some attention.

“You already said that awhile back,” Yulian reminded.

Cracking his back and getting more comfortable beside Joseph, Ivo replied “I know but you never commented. So comment.”

Swallowing a chocolate, Emilio said “I’ll comment for you. What’s depressing?”

“The fact that those fucking Bostonians made it and my Yanks didn’t.”

“So true,” Joseph laughed.

  

* * *

 

“Fuuuucckkk,” Ivo groaned into his hands as the Sox made yet another run. “I don’t even like the Rockies but I’d take them over these bastards.”

“Agreed,” Yulian replied while focusing on the tv. It was the fifth inning and the score was 12-1 Red Sox. In this inning alone, the Sox had managed six runs so far. “These fucking fuckers.”

“Rockies ain’t coming back from this,” Andrey noted from where he was lying down on the floor with a pillow under his head. “No way. We’re screwed, guys.”

Raul took a sip from his second beer and said “Maybe I was going for the Sox not the Rockies.”

“Then you need to leave this entire house,” Ivo snorted, “No Sox lovers in my home, thank you.”

“Not a lover, merely a supporter maybe?” Raul smiled, pushing Ivo’s buttons. “Maybe I’m not petty just to erase an entire team for the love of the Yankees? Anyways, I’m not really a Yankees fan soo…”

“Mr. Vidal, I know you don’t want to die today,” Andrey laughed. “You should probably stop because either he’ll murder you or you’ll give him a heart attack. We don’t need no deaths today.”

Ivo pointed at Andrey. “Good smart child. Unless we’re murdering a Red Sox player, then yes, no deaths.”

“We’d have to go to Boston to manage that,” Joseph pointed out. “They’re playing in Fenway for the first two games. Coors Field in Denver the next two, I think.”

Slouching in his bean bag chair and really needing to piss but refusing to get up, Yulian said “We should go to a game one of these years. It’d be fun.”

“That’d be totally awesome!” Joseph exclaimed in excitement. He turned to looked at his father, “What do you think?”

Still entirely focused on the game, Ivo replied “Yeah, yeah, cool. Busy at the moment.” He cringed when yet another run was made. “Yup, Rockies are fucked.”

By the time the ninth inning came around, they were only watching half-heartedly. There was absolutely no way that the Rockies were going to win. The Sox hadn’t made another run since the fifth inning but neither had the Rockies. For fuck’s sake, the Red Sox had pitched a perfect inning last inning and this one was looking to be the same.

The only thing that had changed in the passing time of the innings was that Yulian had taken the piss he had been needing so badly.

Smashing his face into a pillow, Joseph muffled out “I can’t look anymore.”

“Better hopes for tomorrow maybe,” Andrey said in hope, “Because there is absolutely no way the Sox are gonna lose today.”

“Those fucking fucking fuckers of fuckers,” Ivo groaned while shaking his head. “Fuckers…”

Crunching up his can of beer after downing the last sip, Raul snorted “I don’t even know what that sentence meant and yet I’m going to agree.”

“Converted have you?”

“Eh, don’t argue with the majority of the room.”

Clucking his tongue, Ivo laughed “I knew you were a smart man.”


	11. Poor Johnny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beating at the end of chpt 112. Typical Ivo banter included of course

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just....poor Johnny

Ivo slammed his fist into Johnny’s face.

And oh fucking damn was that satisfying.

So satisfying to the point where he definitely could spend another ten minutes just thinking about how satisfying it was.

It was that satisfying.

Damn.

His fellow man let out a grunt but that was it. But he had been a football player so he better know how to take some hits.

Because he was going to get a shit ton today.

Pent up anger and frustration wasn’t good for his blood pressure. Ivo was turning thirty-nine in a couple months. Hell, he was going to hit the big four-o next year.

He had to worry about his health.

Colliding his fist into the man’s stomach next, Johnny coughed from his lost air and ended up backing hard into the car beside them. Ivo would pay for any scratches or whatever if he had to. No problem.

With blood pooling from his nose while clutching his stomach, Johnny shakily straightened and coughed “My insurance is actually pretty good. Came with my job.”

So he liked to chit-chat? Yeah, Ivo could work with that. Rolling up the sleeves of his button up to his elbows nice and neatly, Ivo replied “Oh that’s good; I was a little worried. I have the full intentions of combining you with the sidewalk but it doesn’t mean I want you to go into debt.”

“That’s truly kind of you,” Johnny heaved, still trying to catch his breath. “I appreciate it.”

“It must be a very good job,” Ivo continued with a smile as he leaned on the car beside Johnny. Besides for the blood and black eye the footballer had, anyone passing would think they were just having a lovely conversation. “I mean, it has to pay really well for you to be able to buy expensive jewelry and lingerie.”

Agreeing with a slow nod, Johnny said in a pained voice “Not as well as you may think. But I was competing with one of the richest men in the city. I needed to make a good impression.”

“Competing?” Ivo mocked with a laugh and a hand on Johnny’s shoulder causing the other man to tense. “Oh dear Johnny, there was never a competition! She’s already my wife and gave birth to my son. Sounds like I’m the winner here.”

“I like to think I’d be a pretty kickass stepfather.”

And oh, was that the very wrong thing to say. Blood boiling, Ivo flicked out his knife from Joseph all those years ago – Yulian had retrieved it for him from when he and Aiken had had their fun – and pressed it against the man’s side. He pushed just hard enough where a prick could be felt but no damage would be done.

Yet.

Putting his mouth close to Johnny’s ear, he hissed “It’s not enough you tried to take my wife but you have the nerve to think you would have taken my son too?” He pushed the knife just a touch harder which made Johnny suck in a pained breath. “You have the fucking nerve to dare think I’d let you take my child from me? I had no intention of killing you but now I’m seriously considering it.”

Breathing slowly in, in what Ivo figured to be, an attempt at staying calm, the piece of shit replied “All I meant was that I would have cared for him well. Not that I’d take him from you. You’re his father, I’d never do that.”

“Oh,” Ivo smiled while flicking his knife closed and putting it back into his pocket. “Then no death today. Very good answer, dear John. Do you like to be John or Johnny? Are you a Johnathan?”

The other man seemed slightly confused at the sudden turn of conversation but answered “Johnathan after my grandfather. I prefer Johnny though.”

Nodding as he once again made himself comfortable against the car, Ivo revealed “I was named after my great grandfather on my mother’s side. She hated her father but loved her grandfather so hence my name. Story according to her goes that my father stepped out of the hospital room for a moment and she took the chance to fill out my paperwork to name me as she pleased.”

Looking a touch curious with blood crusting his face, Johnny asked in his now oddly nasally voice “What were you supposed to be?”

“Pavell,” Ivo replied with a pained jolt striking through his heart just from saying his brother’s name. There would never be a day that it wouldn’t hurt like hell. “Paternal grandfather. My brother ended up with the name.”

“Yeah, you don’t look like a Pavell. Definitely wouldn’t have worked.”

“I agree,” he snorted. He was starting to get cold because he hadn’t bothered bringing his coat with him. Standing in the snow in just his button up and no gloves was incredibly stupid.

Time to finish then.

“Welp, Johnny, it was actually kind of fun talking to you-”

“But now it ends,” Johnny sighed, “Man, my mom is going to have a hell of a heart attack when she hears about me being in a hospital. Dad too…probably sisters and my brother too…man…”

Patting his companion on the back, Ivo laughed “Ain’t that a shame.” It actually would be because he knew from experience how shitty it was to lose someone to heart problems but whatever. He was losing the feeling in his fingers and he needed them.

He could tell that Johnny was about to say something but there really was no time for longer conversations; Ivo was done with that bit. In order to halt whatever words they were, Ivo gave the man another slam to the gut and then grabbed his head and banged it against the car. Before Johnny could slide to the floor, Ivo jammed his knee into the man’s groin practically causing him to go blue.

Nice.

Grasping the footballer’s jaw while still holding him against the car with his knee, Ivo smiled and opened the man’s jaw. “Keep it open, okay? I can do it either way but why stress my hand more than I have to, right?”

Ivo could tell the man was considering his options as he stood there swallowing hard. He could practically imagine the conversation going on in his head:

Fight or no? What was worse?

_Fighting back, duh._

Because if the asshole dared to fight back? Then there was no halting Ivo’s anger once it was unleashed. He’d put the fuckshit into the floor where he’d probably never get back up again.

Eventually, Johnny nodded with his mouth still open. Ivo patted his open jaw softly and whispered “Good boy.”

Then cracked the asshole a hard one, a broken jaw more or less guaranteed.

Awesome.

Johnny was keening in pain and held his jaw as he breathed with pained huffs. Finally removing his hard-pressed knee from the man’s crotch, Ivo jabbed a couple well placed blows into his stomach and let poor Johnathan sink to the floor in pain.

After giving the broken man a few seconds to breathe, Ivo kicked hard into Johnny’s stomach – cue possible internal bleeding – and then aimed one at his face.

Okay, maybe he could do without the blood on his shoe but desperate times called for desperate measures.

“Put your hand out on the cement, dear John.”

With a shaking hand, the man with his eyes fluttered shut in all his suffering placed his hand flat on the sidewalk. Praise was due. “Very good! I hope your work doesn’t require too much skill with these paws of yours.”

Cue broken hand as he crunched down with the bloodied shoe. _Good thing I decided not to wear the Gabbana’s._

Had he turned a little materialistic? Okay, maybe he had. But he had spent too many horrible months barely even able to get food when he had made it here. Having the opportunity to buy whatever the hell you wanted whenever you wanted?

It was the damn nicest feeling in the world.

And it wasn’t like he was a selfish prick; Ivo always felt that he was generous with what he had been lucky to get.

So he had the right to be just a tad materialistic because he always shared.

He was nice that way. His mother had taught him well.

A small smile grew on his face when her raspy voice joined his own in his head. “Of course, I did. Now you’re doubting my skills, Ivo? For shame. And here you were always my favorite.”

“Pft, still am,” he laughed while shaking his head, turning his focus back to poor broken Johnny on the floor. Ivo nudge him with his toe, “Still with me, Johnathan?”

There was a small pained moan of reply. Yeah, that wasn’t cool with Ivo. He may not want to kill the fucker but he kind of wanted him unconscious before he called an ambulance. “I kinda want to break your arm…what do you think?” A pathetic whimper escaped the man on the floor. “You a lefty or righty?”

Smart enough to reply because he probably figured that Ivo would just break both arms if he didn’t answer, Johnny very very slowly wiggled the fingers on his right. “Hmm…okay,” Ivo nodded. “Right it is then.”

He placed a foot on Johnny’s shoulder while grabbing his wrist, twisting and yanking it back towards him. The scream that erupted from Johnny was comical really but, sadly, loud enough to draw some attention.

Cue concerned old lady.

Dropping the useless arm down, Ivo smiled at the woman whose eyes were wide enough to swallow the moon. “Hello.”

Looking at him like he was completely insane, she shakily pulled out her phone from her purse. Stepping over to her, Ivo grabbed the phone from her frail hands and said “We don’t want to do that, dear. Just keep walking.”

Her eyes darted from him to Johnny and back again. She was conflicted, he could tell. Really, he was quite lucky that no one had called any cops yet. But then, the street was emptier than usual. Luck had worked nicely to his advantage.

“You’re hurting him,” she whispered the most obvious thing in the world.

“He hurt me. I’m returning the favor.” Shutting off her phone, he placed it back into her purse and patted her shoulder. “Keep walking.”

Still looking far too conflicted, the old woman finally nodded and walked off. Ivo knew he didn’t have much time left. Even if she didn’t call the cops, she’d tell someone.

Cue Yulian.

The man always had a good sense of timing.

Bumping into the old woman on ‘accident,’ Yulian gave her his apologies and she looked nervously between him and Ivo. Finally, she swallowed her nerves and said “I think we need to call the police.”

Smiling in full reassurance, Yulian replied “No worries, ma’am. I’ll take care of it. You don’t need to put that type of worry on yourself; your health is incredibly important. I’ll call and speak to them; you needn’t worry.”

The woman actually seemed reassured as she nodded and quickly walked off. Yulian finished the walk over and handed Ivo his coat while staring down at Johnny. “Gloves are in the pocket.”

“Coffee?”

“I drank it,” the asshole replied while nudging Johnny with his toe who responded with a groan so low that Ivo barely caught it. He nodded to Johnny’s coffee, surprising still sitting atop the car. “Drink his.”

“I guess,” Ivo muttered while pulling his gloves on. “I think I’m done-”

“There won’t be much left of him if you’re not.”

Clearing his throat, Ivo continued “I think I’m done after one last hit.” He gestured for Yulian to move to the side. “Excuse me, mofo.”

Giving Ivo the floor with a dramatic sweeping gesture, Yulian tipped his head. “All yours, my lord.”

“Why thank you,” he replied while studying Johnny on the floor. Where should he hit…

“Smash his dick,” Yulian answered although Ivo didn’t remember speaking aloud. “Maybe he’ll never get it up again.”

It was a good idea but it wasn’t entirely Johnny’s fault that he had been fucking Vesela. Somehow, Raul and Yulian – hell, even Joseph – had made him realize that this mess was her fault not his. Being that it was kind of her fault, did Johnny deserve not being able to ever use his cock?

As a man who enjoyed the pleasure he got from using his own penis, Ivo didn’t think the poor guy whose only fault was loving didn’t deserve that pleasure anymore.

“Okay fine,” Yulian muttered, “Kick him in the gut.”

“Why the hell do you always get my head,” Ivo grumbled to himself. Understanding of his insanity was awesome but he didn’t like how Yulian was so good at knowing what he was thinking. “Gut?” He asked in a louder voice.

“Yeah. Nice and hard.”

Obviously that wouldn’t make the man unconscious but… oh well. He could do without that part. Nodding his head slowly, Ivo first crouched down beside Johnny and asked “Are you going to be the stupid man who’ll press charges?” He knew that Johnny wouldn’t but nothing wrong with asking.

He couldn’t exactly speak but the groan that came out sounded like an ‘uh-uh’ so Ivo took it. Patting Johnny in a mocking soothing gesture, he praised “Good Johnathan. Such a good boy.”

With that he stood and delivered what could almost be a bone crushing kick into the prone man’s stomach. His kick was greeted with a moan of pain and what could maybe even be a cry.

That was cool with him.

“You know, I could’ve actually like you. Such a shame,” Ivo sighed with a shake of his head. Looking to Yulian, he nodded and the other man walked to the telephone booth at the end of the street. Using a kerchief to cover his prints, Yulian called poor Johnny an ambulance and hung up abruptly when he relayed the necessities.

Grabbing the coffee off the car – where the hell was the car owner? – Ivo took a sip of it. Luckily, it was black and he could deal with all the extra shots of espresso. “Thanks for the coffee, Johnny. I’ll send you a fresh cup once you’re allowed caffeine again.”

His words were met with a groan that Ivo liked to think of as ‘you’re welcome.’ Accepting this with a nod, he gave one last grand smile even though the other man’s eyes were closed and went to Yulian who was waiting at the end of the street.

Yeah, he was feeling worlds better right now.

No high blood pressure coming his way yet.


	12. The Bathroom Void

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Emilio gets trapped in the great bathroom void on their way to San Diego. Comes after Chpt 146

After flushing the toilet, Emilio didn’t even need to take two steps to reach the sink to wash his hands. Hell, not even one step. Once he had completed that task, he did a small turn to the door and slid the funky lock to open it.

Except it didn’t.

“Huh,” he muttered as he tried again.

Not a budge.

Crap.

He blamed this mishap on Joseph.

_“Be right back,” he yawned as he stood. They’d been flying for around four and a half hours and Emilio was pretty much dead. He’d never been on a plane before and he wasn’t sure he’d liked to be again. This was just pure exhausting. Too bad they had to use one to get home._

_His boyfriend also looked tired but definitely not to the extent of Emilio. He was sure that if he looked in a mirror, he’d be a mess. Without scooting his knees out of the way, Joseph murmured while still focused on trying to draw a car with the drawing set Emilio had got him for his birthday “Where to.”_

_“You can make that sound like a question instead of a demand,” Emilio laughed quietly. Andrey had fallen asleep and he didn’t want to bother him._

_“Sorry,” Joseph snorted in amusement. His voice took on an overly sweet tone, “Where are you off to, sweetheart?”_

_Rolling his eyes at his ridiculousness, he replied “Bathroom. Now move before I pee on myself.”_

_Intense focus was still on his sketching but Joseph’s face scrunched into disgust. “Ew, no, Emilio.”_

_A laugh erupted from him despite wanting to keep a quiet voice. The man beside Maria gave him a look but Emilio just shrugged it off. “What do you want me to do? Should I just pee here then?”_

_“Didn’t you go before we left?”_

_“No, I hadn’t needed to then. I need to now so seriously please move.” He’d literally start dancing right now if Joseph didn’t move his now longer than Emilio’s legs._

_Damn his genes._

_Sighing, Joseph pulled his legs as close as he could so Emilio could pass. “Jump over giant ass Andrey and don’t die or become diseased in the nastiness.”_

Refusing to panic, Emilio tried the lock a third time. “Motherfucker,” he whispered when it didn’t work. Man, if his parents heard him, he'd either get grounded or get a jalapeno in his mouth. Cursing wasn’t something he did but when you were constantly around Mr. Kavinsky and now Joseph and his slowly turning filthy mouth, you couldn’t help it.

 _Okay, think…_ He kind of had nothing. There was the obvious which was banging and calling out but to be honest?

He was definitely too embarrassed to.

Stupid reason, sure, but it was a valid stupid reason. _His_ valid stupid reason.

The lock was probably just stuck was all. Most likely, he wasn’t pulling or wriggling it right. Any minute now, he'd be able to get this open and then the problem would be very easily solved.

Without a single embarrassment occurring.

Letting out a breath, Emilio tried the lock again only to fail. “I hate my life.”

How long had he been in here? No more than five minutes was his guess. Not long enough for Joseph to worry or wonder. He really didn’t want to take long because then he was worried Joseph would think he was constipated or something.

Another stupid thing, especially since they had been friends for so long and could generally be found talking gross stuff with each other because it was just loads of fun sometimes.

But it was his stupid thing.

Emilio didn’t want his boyfriend thinking he had bathroom issues.

Leaning against the miniscule sink, Emilio bit his thumbnail as he tried to think. If he was lucky, someone would need to use the restroom and knock and then he could simply tell them the door was stuck. Embarrassing still but minorly so.

_Or you could just pound on the door like a smart person._

“Shut up inner self; now’s not the time,” Emilio muttered.

  

* * *

 

Joseph checked his watch again. Maybe Emilio wasn’t feeling so great? He did look kind of a mess but would that cause him to be in the bathroom for twenty minutes?

Or maybe he had needed something from the adults and Joseph just hadn’t noticed him pass through. But Emilio wouldn’t have passed without saying anything…

“Huh,” he mumbled to himself as he tried to even out a tire on the Mustang he was working on. Drawing cars was incredibly hard but he’d been practicing for about a year now. And for his birthday, Emilio had gotten him this car drawing set which helped a lot. He was going to become the amazing veterinary engineer and having the ability to draw cars seemed important. Who knew? Maybe one day he’d be designing them too.

“Hmmm,” Andrey hummed sleepily. His older cousin had finished his book within the first couple hours and decided to have a nap. Turned out that sleeping on a plane sucked.

“Emilio’s still in the bathroom,” Joseph replied, not really sure if Andrey was awake or not. This tire was more important right now. It was being a complete pain in the ass and he was starting to get a little frustrated.

Shifting in his seat, Andrey yawned and stretched as best as his tall frame could in the small space. “How long he been gone?”

“Like twenty minutes.”

“Damn. Maybe his stomach hurts or something. I don’t remember him eating anything though.”

He hadn’t. Joseph had been sitting by him the whole entire time. “Nope, nothing.”

Shrugging and yawning again, Andrey mumbled tiredly “Then maybe he just needs some time is all. How long do we have left?”

Glancing at his watch, Joseph answered “Maybe an hour.”

“Man, I’m so gonna crash when we get there. Sleeping on this stupid plane sucks balls.”

  

* * *

 

A lot of time had to have passed by now. Emilio could just feel it.

And yet somehow, not a single person had needed to use the bathroom. Or even wash their hands for that matter. How stupid was that?

“Uhh…” he groaned quietly to himself. Emilio had tried the lock a few more times but still nothing.

Despite all the time spent and his annoyance, he still refused to bang on the door. He was a self-conscious sort of dude; he didn’t like drawing extra attention to himself.

Banging on the door would draw a whole lot of attention.

 _Joseph will get his butt up and check eventually._ There was no way his boyfriend wasn’t at least wondering why Emilio was taking so long. He probably was just assuming that Emilio was having stomach issues or something.

“Dang it.” Definitely not something he wanted. Flicking his gaze back to the lock, Emilio tried yet again even though he knew already what the outcome would be.

“Okay, okay,” he muttered to inner self who kept telling him to just bang on the stupid freaking door. “Five more minutes and then I will.”

He was definitely lying to himself though. The time would be stretched until he just couldn’t take it anymore.

Man was he stupid. _Should’ve just peed in a bottle._

Who was he kidding? Absolutely no one. He was too embarrassed to just call out for help not to whip out his dick and pee in a bottle while Joseph sat beside him drawing. Hell, his face was flaming with just the thought of the action.

“Pathetic, Emilio Raul Vidal. Completely pathetic. What would you do if you were stranded and lost? Sit by the road and act like you belong there while you repress your urge to use the bathroom?” He snorted on his laughter because, yeah, he probably would unless it was truly drastic times. Did Boy scouts have to dump behind random trees when they camped? If they did, Emilio would be a terrible one. He’d most likely kill himself through constipation by refusing to use the restroom.

And now he was thinking about Boy scouts taking a crap. Maybe this enclosed space was getting to his head. Emilio Vidal, the headline would say, The Boy Who Lost His Mind in an Airplane Restroom.

“Uhh, you’re so stupid,” Emilio grumbled into his hands. “So stupid, Emilio. So so stupid.”

“I mean, generally, yes, you can be, dear pookie.”

“Oh thank God,” he laughed as Joseph’s voice came through the other side of the door. The stupid pet name bugged him but if he complained, Joseph would be an ass and make him stay locked in longer. “Help me out.”

“Oh? Having trouble taking a crap?”

So he felt like being an ass anyways then. _That’s why you love him._ “Uh, no, it seems that the void of the bathroom wants to entrap me here forever. What do you have to say about that?”

“Well,” Joseph began,” I’d start by saying ‘I told you so’ then I’d move on and say ‘maybe you can meet Melkor in the void.’”

Of course, he’d rub it in. And leave it to Joseph to find a way to bring up Lord of the Rings stuff. _Another reason you love your nerd so much._ “Do you want me to tell him hi for you?” Anything Tolkien wasn’t really his forte beyond the movies but he tried his best to keep up. He did know, however, that Melkor was the big baddie who started a whole lot of crap even before Lord of the Rings took place.

“Hey, yeah, that’d be fantastic. Thanks, honeybun.”

Clenching a fist in an odd mix of annoyance and amusement, Emilio snorted “So after I say hey…do you plan on helping me out of the void? The gate keeper seems to be off for lunch or something because the door refuses to budge.”

“Hmm…” came a hum. “I suppose…”

“C’mon, Joseph. Don’t be a pain and make me suffer more.”

“Whoa, you’re not sounding very grateful for me coming to the rescue. Andrey said I should just let you take the time you need but you’ve been gone longer than that time you caught stomach flu.” Emilio’s face flushed; it wasn’t his fault he had bathroom issues. “So I figured that I should just check up on you just in case. Aren’t I sweet?”

“I mean, maybe if you didn’t say all that in such a condescending tone, maybe.” Sighing and sitting down onto the floor because he was tired of standing, Emilio mumbled “Can you please just get someone to open the door?”

He must have heard the exhaustion or he was done being an asshole because Joseph replied “No probs, bromilio. I got you covered.”

 

 

They landed and grabbed their bags and then walked to the garage where rental cars got parked. Mr. Kavinsky had reserved three Escalades because he was a materialistic sort of guy for one thing and also they had lots of room and seats.

Getting in beside Joseph and Andrey coming in beside him, he yawned and stretched in hopes of getting his body awake. “Everyone set?” Mr. Kavinsky asked from the driver’s seat. How the man looked so relaxed Emilio didn’t know but it probably had something to do with first class relaxation.

“Yup,” Andrey answered, resting his head on the window.

“So I’ve got a story to share,” Joseph piped up in a cheery tone.

“Story?” Emilio murmured sleepily. He was definitely sleeping the minute he got to the hotel. Then his mind clicked on. _He wouldn’t…_

Joseph smiled to him and winked.

“Aw c’mon Joseph,” he groaned. He didn’t need people hearing about his embarrassing moment.

“Let’s hear it,” Mrs. Kavinsky laughed, “It must be good if Emilio’s embarrassed.”

Andrey snorted but stayed silent. The older boy had laughed for at least five minutes straight when he found out the reason that Emilio had been so long and that Joseph had to ‘rescue’ him.

“Well,” Joseph started, “The bathroom void held Emilio hostage…”


	13. Impromptu Bachelor's Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Impromptu bachelor's party because Ivo was too cool for Daniel's actual. Total old man style because Ivo ain't about that life.  
> Requested by the dear Hatty Hattington

It was depressing really. Sitting in a casino restaurant that wasn’t his. Ivo’s casino still had a while to go. It’d be a year in a month since the blast and while the work was going quick, it wasn’t going _that_ fast. That fast wouldn’t even be possible what with safety codes and inspections and all that shit.

He and Yulian had ultimately decided that they were going to use the original blueprints of the building. They had thought about making changes in the structural design but really there was no point. Timotei had had it built to the utmost beauty. Changing what the place was known for was plain stupid. Not to mention disrespectful to an amazing man.

Everything would be exactly the same, they had decided.

Except maybe furniture. The same theme and colors but different pieces and styles. Once the inside structure was finished and all the rooms cut up and created, they planned on giving Vesela and Nikol full reign on the decorating. They knew that their wives would do better than they would. They’d make the place even more beautiful than it had been, he was sure.

The only thing that was changing was the parking garage below. Having it below was the best way for people to park because there wasn’t enough space on the street and there were no parking lots around but security was changing. Once the place was done, there would be security booths at the gate. No one went in without getting checked and no one went out without either. I.D. would be required, license plates would be written, and, should the guards feel the need, cars would be searched. The methods would probably cause some grumbles but people would understand why.

Lighting a cigar, Daniel asked with raised brows “I’m sorry, you look bored.”

“That’s because I am,” he replied with a smile. He still didn’t know how he got talked into this.

“Aw,” Casey whined with a huge smile. “Don’t be like that, Eeevster!

 _Eev…_ “The fuck did you even just call me?”

Slouching back into his chair, the Irishman answered cheekily “I’m working on nicknames for you. See, the problem dear Vo, is that your name is so fucking short that I can’t seem to make one. My only option is to make your name longer, Eevy-boo.”

Daniel was choking on his cigar and a laugh as Ivo glared at the idiot across from him. “Casey?”

“My awesometastical lord?”

“I will kill you today.”

Looking completely unfazed, Casey snorted “Nah, boo, you won’t. You know you love me deep down in that nasty black heart of yours.”

“Fine. But I’m going to punch you. And I sure as fuck don’t love you. Tolerate, maybe. There’s a substantial difference.”

“You know,” Daniel started, taking a sip of his vodka, “If you had just come to my bachelor’s party like I asked, I wouldn’t have had to invite you out by yourself. And you wouldn’t be bored.”

Oh yeah, that was all he needed. Ivo had never been to a bachelor’s party but he figured what he’d seen in movies couldn’t be that far off. “So you want not only the respected lord of the Bulgarian mob to come to your bachelor’s party but a man in his forties who’s married and has a kid.”

“What’s so bad about that?”

Why did he have to be at a table full of idiots today? The waiter cut into their conversation as he placed Ivo’s plate in front of him, politely saying “Pardon my reach, sir.”

Taking a good look at the guy, Ivo figured that he’d probably been to at least one bachelor’s party. “Can I ask a question if you don’t mind.”

“Of course.” The poor guy probably thought Ivo was going to ask about food.

“You ever been to a bachelor’s party?”

The waiter looked confused for a second but then loosened up, turning less formal with a smile. “Two actually. Brother’s and best friends. Why?”

Daniel rolled his eyes because he must have figured where Ivo was going with this. “Tell me about one. The kind of stuff that happens. The company.”

Shrugging, the waiter replied “Lots of drinking. It’s celebratory, you know? Last night being single. Some games. Oh and we got my brother four strippers.” I huge grin erupted on the young guy’s face, “I had a threesome with two of them. One of them is actually my current girlfriend.”

Well then. “Thank you and more ice tea, please.”

Nodding with a smile because he was probably thinking about either the threesome or his girlfriend, the waiter went on his way. Turning back to Daniel, Ivo said “Does that sound like something I would enjoy?”

“Yo, Killer I, nothing wrong with putting some money in a girl’s thong,” Casey mumbled around the rim of his glass. “She like it.”

“She likes it because it’s her job and she needs the money. And there is something completely wrong with a married man putting money in a girl’s g-string. So wrong.”

“Nah man, guys got to let loose once in a while!” the waiter exclaimed before refilling Ivo’s tea, having caught what was said. Apparently once you discussed strippers, complete friendship occurred. This fool. “It’s good for them.”

Seems the entire restaurant was filled with stupid people. “I’m sorry in advance.”

“For?” the waiter asked curiously.

“When your girlfriend dumps you for messing with other strippers.”

“My girl knows I got needs, man.”

Disgusting. “Fuck off, please, before I break your face on behalf of your girl.”

The disgruntled asshole fucked off as Daniel snorted “Maybe his girl don’t care. You don’t know.”

“Just like a man doesn’t appreciate his wife screwing around on him, a woman doesn’t appreciate it either.” Ivo would know. He’s suffered enough pain from infidelity. If Vesela ever did it to him again, he didn’t think he’d be able to take it.

Huffing as he shoved a bite of steak in his mouth, Daniel said in annoyance after he swallowed “It’s just fun. You could have come and enjoyed yourself. You take things way to seriously.”

Maybe he needed to put this in better perspective. “So if Venc went to a strip club and had a girl give him a lap dance and then stuffed some cash in her waistband, that’s totally cool with you? Cool with Johanna?”

The next bite slowed to his mouth before coming to a complete stop right in front of his open mouth. Grimacing and placing his filled fork back on the plate, Daniel threatened “I would have kicked his fucking ass if he did that to her.”

“So your sister is important but my wife isn’t?”

“Oh shit, he got you,” Casey whispered with doe eyes. Cackling a huge laugh, he straightened in his chair and slapped the table. “Goddamn you, V Man, I love you.”

Slapping a hand on his face, he groaned inwardly. How did he get stuck with this fool. Oh yeah, he had to blow up some Italian shit.

Dammit.

“Casey, I swear if you do not shut up, I will break something of you.”

Putting his hands up in defense, Casey laughed “Hey my lord, as long as it ain’t my dick, we good. I like using that sexy bastard.”

“Oh my God…” Ivo muttered into his hands.

“So, Emo man, I have a very important question for you.”

Barely having a handle on his temper right now, Ivo raised his head over his hands and glared at the Irishman and his sparkling brown eyes. “Casey, I swear to fucking God, you fucking Catholic bastard, if you drop another stupid name, I will beat you to death.”

Either his tone or the dangerous sheen he knew was in his eyes got through to the boy because you could visibly see the way he toned himself down. “My bad, my lord. So, uh, my question?”

“Shoot,” he murmured before a sip of ice tea. Raspberry wasn’t bad actually. Generally, he just went for lemon.

“How does one undress like a princess, queen, empress, or president and not a hooker?”

“Huh?” Man, did he hate feeling stupid. What was this supposed to even mean?

“See? I don’t fucking get it either.”

Feeling as confused as that time Joseph had tried explaining Dragon Ball-Z to him, Ivo looked to Daniel who was the only one who ever seemed to make sense of the shit out of Casey’s mouth. “Clarify.”

Taking a drag from his cigar, Daniel laughed “Kardinal.”

“Clarify once more.”

“Rapper.”

“Again.” Ivo knew rappers but this one didn’t ring any bells.

“Beautiful with Akon and Colby O’Donis.”

“Ohhhh, okay.” That made sense. He didn’t remember that specific part but Vesela loved that song. It was her thing for the past six months. Because he felt like being the smart one of the group, Ivo decided to actually explain a possible answer because really, why not? “Hookers undress while trying to seduce. Be extra sexual. Princesses undress…”

This was a tough one. How did a princess undress? Fast and ready to get into comfortable clothes because she was exhausted? Or did they mean ‘ladylike’?

Hmm.

“See?” Casey said full of adamancy. “Makes no fucking sense.”

It didn’t and now it was bothering him because if there were two things he hated more than anything, it was when he felt stupid and when things didn’t make sense.

Load of bullshit.

“I want you both to know,” Ivo started after a green bean, “That you guys are shitty company. I’m bored as fuck but at least the food is good. I could be home relaxing or playing a video game-”

“So you’re too old for a bachelor’s party but not video games?” Daniel asked with a raised brow. “How’s that work?”

“I am too _married_ for a bachelor’s party. And too fucking mature to find amusement in strippers and alcohol.” In truth, he stopped finding alcohol and strippers amusing when he was fifteen.

“But not games.”

“No. I’m enjoying Grand Theft Auto right now. That’s called fun.” And he only got to play it at night too. Vesela said he wasn’t allowed to play it when Joseph might want to watch. It made him feel slightly like a child that needed permission but he understood. That game was not made for children to play or watch.

“Oh damn, Ee-” Casey slapped a quick hand on his mouth. Clearing his throat, he tried again in a stiff stoic voice, just dying to break into laughter. “Oh damn, _my lord,_ I love that game!”

“I find it unfair that the mobster can find time to play and a businessman can’t,” Daniel muttered sourly. “I literally have no time in my life.”

A waiter came to see if they needed anything and Ivo couldn’t help but smile from amusement when he realized it wasn’t their one from before. Too bad for the guy. Ivo always tipped really well. “Too bad for you,” Ivo snorted once the waiter took his empty plate. “So, who’s invited to this wedding of yours?”

“Her family, mine…” Daniel’s face darkened for a moment and Ivo knew he was thinking of his parents. Too bad. They deserved what they got. “Some friends and business associates.”

Ivo didn’t like that last part. “Business associates? Fuckwad, you associate with gangsters.”

“Don’t insult me,” Casey laughed. “Or yourself, for that matter.”

There was a difference for them than anyone else. “I know Daniel personally and met him that way. You’re his friend. We’re not just associates. Don’t tell me there’s going to be Dons and heads of mafias and shit.” The wedding was going to be boring as it was, not to have mobsters there. They’d ruin the mood for him.

He could tell from Daniel’s face that there were. “The invite was extended because I have manners and know what is expected. Some have already RSVP’d so I guess they’re coming.”

“Fuck…”

“Don’t forget to bring Joseph with you.”

In truth, he had been planning to but now he wasn’t so sure if he wanted to. Having his son around mobsters wasn’t something he wanted. Hell, it was something he had been making sure never happened for years. But Joseph would be upset if he didn’t get to go. Like Ivo, he wasn’t big on enjoying weddings but he wanted to see one and also see Daniel and Johanna.

Maybe they’d be able to avoid the gangsters well enough. They could manage that, couldn’t they?

Maybe.

“You’re an ass,” Ivo sighed. “Just a complete asshole.”

Casey looked hurt for some weird reason. “My lord, why can’t you call me that?”

Confusion clouded him. “You…want me to call you an asshole?” The Irishman nodded. “Okay…Casey, you’re an asshole.”

“Yes!” Casey shouted, raising his fist to the sky like a complete idiot and making a spectacle for everyone to stare at. “Now I can say it!”

“Say…”

Huge smile gracing his features, Casey leaned on his arm resting on the table and winked “You are what you eat.”

Daniel erupted into laughter as Ivo shook his head in disbelief. Why was he still disbelieving though? He knew how this idiot was.

When they finally finished and left, Ivo called to Casey before he was out of earshot. Turning to look at him, Casey made a curious face. “C’mere,” Ivo said while waving him over.

With a raised brow, the red head trotted over with a smile. “Myyy lord.”

“You know I tolerate you almost in a liking way, right?”

“Hell, yeah, my dear role model. I know you like me. Why? Are you gonna give me a gift from how much you tolerate-like me?”

“Oh yeah,” Ivo nodded with a smile on his face. “Totally. Remember? I told you about it earlier.”

Casey looked completely confused but smiled anyways, saying “Go for it.”

Winking, Ivo made a fist and slammed it into Casey’s face. The younger man groaned while clutching his cheek but straightened himself and actually attempted a smile with a pained laugh. “You, my lord, are such an asshole. Such a fucking asshole and yet I can’t help but like you. What the fuck.”

Snorting on a laugh as he unlocked his car, he paused and walked back to Casey. Patting him on the shoulder, Ivo winked once more and whispered “You are what you eat.”


	14. Lullaby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: 'Ivo' and 'song'. Which became Ivo getting baby Joseph to fall asleep for the first time by himself. Well, mostly by himself ;)  
> Snapshot in history  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the ever lovely Goldfish
> 
> Timelineish: July 1995  
> Ivo: 26  
> Vesela: 22 (23 in Oct)  
> Joseph: monthish  
> Emiliya: 44

“Just please…” Ivo groaned for what felt like the thousandth time in so few minutes. “Please just stop crying, Joseph. Please.”

His baby, of course, didn’t feel like complying as he continued to cry his lungs out. For such a small infant, the boy knew how to cry.

Like really knew.

Really, this was just sad. He should know how to handle his own child for God’s sake. But that wasn’t within his level of expertise. At all.

Ivo sure as hell wasn’t ready for kids.

But he was going to do this. He could figure this all out and he’d be everything his father hadn’t been.

He could do this.

Sighing as he gave up trying to get Joseph to fall asleep as he walked around his nursery, Ivo carefully plopped down into the rocking chair Vesela had wanted so bad.

Now he understood why.

Because holy shit, did this thing cushion his ass. Like whoa. His back too but he knew she wanted it for her ass. No way she didn’t.

Softly rocking as he sighed and looked down at the crying bundle in his arms, Ivo had to admit one very obvious fact.

His kid was fucking adorable.

“Why wouldn’t you be? Your parents are hot as fuck.” Vesela was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Well, at the time, she was the cutest girl he’d ever seen. She had smiled to him from the table she had been sitting at in the middle of the shop with Timotei and Nikol as he sat in the corner, back against the wall. He had been contemplating the most delicious and first ice cream he had had since Bulgaria and had been wondering if he bought for his mother if it would melt by the time he walked home.

And he knew he was owned just from that smile. God was kind to him that day.

Because it turned out they were Bulgarian. The first ones he had met in America. And for a seventeen year old boy who had just lost everything and couldn’t speak but broken sentences, they were so much more.

Hope.

Resting his head on the back of the chair as he continued to rock in the chair, he glanced around the room. He and Vesela had done it together because that was what she wanted and he sure as hell was going to indulge her everything she wanted. Ivo had been saving money on the side since he got here but started putting even more in the shoeboxes he used once he married. His dream was to give Vesela a beautiful home to live in, something to rival the house Yulian and Nikol lived in because his wife deserved it just as much as her sister did. He wanted to give both her and his mother something more than that shitty two room apartment they had lived in.

So he bought this house. Almost ten years of saving every penny served him well. He had bought it while Vesela was pregnant, hoping to show Timotei that he could take care of her. That he just fucked up was all.

That he was better than that.

Vesela had been seven months along when he finally had convinced Timotei to let her at least see the house. The condition was that he came with her but that was fine with Ivo; he had wanted to impress him too. She had loved the house and was excited to pick out the furniture and literally bounced in happiness when she chose which room their baby would be in. They had done all the decorating together and he had finally got her back when Timotei showed up with her one morning, Vesela beaming in happiness and a hand on her growing belly, her bags in her father’s hands.

How beautiful she looked that day was forever etched in his brain.

Glancing to the doorway when his mother’s head popped in, then her entire body, Ivo made a pitiful face and lifted Joseph a little. “Help?”

A soft smile grew on her face as she walked in. She was happier than she had been in a long while. The first time she held Joseph in the hospital made her smile in a way that Ivo hadn’t seen since before his father had died. Leaning on the rocking chair, she stroked Joseph’s little hairs back. “Even when he cries, he’s beautiful.”

That was all well and nice but Ivo’s ears didn’t appreciate beauty the way his eyes did. “He won’t stop.”

“That’s because he’s testing his father’s abilities which are currently failing. It’s a challenge.”

“He’s a baby, mayko. He doesn’t know how to challenge.”

Laughing as she shook her head, she pressed a kiss to Joseph then Ivo. “You’d be amazed at how aware and brilliant children are, Ivo. He knows this is the first time his bashtá is sitting with him alone and he decided to put you to the test. He’s trying to get you better at this.”

That was something Ivo wanted too but he did everything Vesela generally did and nothing was working. He fed him, made sure he didn’t need a change, burped him, walked this whole freaking house, rocked in this fucking chair… “It’s not working.”

His mother let out another laugh. “That’s because practice makes perfect. You just need time. You’ve been lucky the past month that Vesela wanted to do everything. Now it’s your turn.”

“I’m not opposed,” he protested with a crying child still in his arms. “I just can’t seem to do it. I did literally everything she does.”

“But you’re not her.”

He felt like that was a hint. His mother wasn’t those kinds who did everything for you or spelled it out. She always expected him to manage whatever it was on his own. Her extent of helps were hints.

That was her hint apparently, but fuck did it suck.

“Any other suggestions?”

“No,” she answered simply as she walked to where he had left Joseph’s laundry sitting out. He had been getting to putting it away but then Joseph had started crying.

And then here he was.

“I was going to do that, I swear,” Ivo called over as she began to fold little clothes. Him and Vesela had also done that together.

_“…o. Ivo. Hello…”_

_His head felt heavy and he was just so exhausted. Timotei had given him extra work yesterday for back talk and he hadn’t finished the most boring paper work in the world until 2 in the morning. When he had come home, Vesela had already been asleep. “Hnnn.”_

_“Babe, wake up.”_

_“No.”_

_She laughed which made his heart skip millions of beats. He had suffered through five horrible months of not getting to hear it or wake up to her. Even when he had been given the chance to see her, Timotei had to be in the room. He wouldn’t allow them to be alone. “If you can say ‘no,’ it means your awake.”_

_“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m just talking in my sleep,” he mumbled, refusing to open his eyes._

_“Whoa, are you telling someone in your dream that? So technically you’re asleep in two worlds explaining that you’re asleep in two worlds. Insane.”_

_“What.” Pregnancy messed her brain. That sentence made no sense._

_A smile grew on his face as she started to place kisses all over his face. “Wake up.”_

_Flicking his eyes open and trying to act annoyed, he muttered “What.”_

_Sitting cross-legged and looking stunning even though she just woke up and was eight months pregnant, her eyes sparkled as she revealed “We’re going shopping.”_

_“Shopping.” Rolling over to look at his clock, Ivo muttered “You woke me at seven in the morning to tell me we’re going shopping.” Four hours of sleep. That was all he had gotten._

_“Yes! C’mon. We’ll get ready, go to breakfast, and then go shopping.”_

_Groaning as he covered his head with the blanket, he reluctantly asked “What are we shopping for.” He’d give in to her in a heartbeat._

_“Baby clothes! And, you know, whatever else we might find. I want to add more stuff to the nursey. I saw this awesome chair in Target’s ad. I want it.”_

_Sighing as he sat up, Ivo stretched while he yawned “What kind of chair?”_

_“A rocking chair. It was so pretty too. It’s cherry wood like the crib so it’ll match.” Suddenly looking concerned, she asked “I can buy more stuff, right? You have enough? If you don’t, that’s okay. I don’t need a chair.”_

_Oh, she needed that chair. He didn’t care if he had to get a fucking loan from Russians, he’d get her that damn chair even though the nearest Target was in Jersey city._

_The good thing was that he had enough. He had one shoebox left after buying the house. They had been steadily pulling from it because of decorating and getting whatever the house needed but he figured he had at least four hundred left. That wasn’t too bad. The month’s utilities had already been paid so that was covered. The chair she wanted was probably at least a hundred if not more._

_How much were baby clothes? They couldn’t be that much could they? He didn’t want to use the entire four hundred because he liked to keep something in his pocket and something for emergencies. They’d probably spend more than two hundred today with breakfast included. The chair she wanted was probably more than a hundred. Hopefully no more than two._

_“No, it’s fine,” he lied. They’d have enough for today but not much left over. After living on the streets for months, Ivo knew how important it was to have backup._

_But he didn’t want to leave Vesela wanting._

_“Great! We gotta pick him the cutest outfits too. He’s got to be way more adorably dressed than Andrey ever could be.”_

The trip had actually been fun. Picking clothes was a lot more enjoyable than he had expected but that was probably because Vesela had made it that way. The chair had been on sale for one-sixty and Ivo was glad to know it was worth every penny after sitting in it. Especially after he had asked his mother for an extra fifty just in case. He hated asking her because he was supposed to take care of her but he didn’t want to get there and realize him and Vesela had spent more than they had intended.

Well, he had intended. Ivo hadn’t wanted to tell her she was on a budget.

“If the tactic is not working, adjust it,” his mother’s voice came, cutting into his thoughts and Joseph’s cries.

Huffing as he stood and walked over to her, rocking his son as he did, Ivo watched as she put the clothes away. “How?”

“Try harder. Try different. Try what you might think, not what you’ve seen Vesela do.”

Blinking down at the crying adorable bundle in his arms, Ivo began walking around the room again as he thought. What else was left? What the hell did babies like? Each one was different.

His eyes caught on the bookshelf he and Vesela had stuffed with books. They planned on having the smartest kid in the world and were already reading to him. Joseph was too little to understand the words but they felt like he enjoyed them.

“Lullaby,” Ivo suddenly realized, coming to a halt in his walking. Quickly turning his head to look at his mother’s back, he asked “Lullaby?” She, being how she was, ignored him but he’d bet money she was smiling. “Mamo, lullaby?”

When she continued to ignore him and started to hum, he walked over and set his chin on her shoulder. “Lullaby?” he repeated.

Attempting to hide her smile, his mother said “Try what you want.”

“Try what you want,” he mocked in a horrible impersonation of her voice as he walked to sit back in the chair. He liked this chair. Maybe he’d put it in his office. His ass would never go numb again.

Rocking softly while staring down at Joseph, Ivo thought carefully. What kind of lullaby? Did it really matter? What if it did? Maybe Joseph didn’t like cheesy shit. Maybe he didn’t like ones that didn’t have a nice enough rhythm.

Maybe he was thinking about this way too hard.

“Lullaby,” he repeated softly to himself while still watching his little boy cry. He didn’t remember from his own childhood from when his mother used to sing for him because he had been too little but he did remember Pavel’s.

Ivo himself used to sing it for his younger brother when they had been on the run and sleep wouldn’t come to him because of his fear.

In truth, the song was kind of weird because to this day he didn’t understand why there are bearded dwarves in it but whatever. It was all about slumber inviting the listener to his palace so they could sleep.

Joseph definitely needed that invitation.

So Ivo began to sing as he rocked back and forth in a freakishly expensive chair.

Back and forth.

Back and forth.

Repeat the song.

Back and forth.

Back and forth.

Rinse and repeat.

Until after singing the song more than five times, Joseph’s cries simmered down to whimpers.

And his eyes began to close.

And he fell asleep.

Finishing the last line of the song, Ivo fell silent but continued to rock slowly while admiring the beautiful tiny child in his arms. It was funny really. You knew and understood easily how children were made, you go and make one yourself and yet it’s not until you’re holding them in your arms that you understand.

That you understand just how amazingly magnificent creation is. Here he was, holding his baby that he literally made. It kind of struck awe in him.

He was still staring down at Joseph when he realized he felt someone staring. Looking up, Ivo found Vesela leaning in the doorway, her beautiful smile gracing her stunning face. He couldn’t help but smile back as he lifted Joseph just a touch. “I did it.”

Her smile grew even wider as she set the bag in her hand down and walked over to him. She pressed a kiss to Joseph’s head then leaned in for one with him that was far less innocent. Leaving their noses touching, she whispered “You did it. Score one for Ivo.”

“Half,” his mother cut in as she was making her way out. “Score only half. I gave out hints.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bulgarian Dictionary (If I put anything wrong, please let me know)
> 
> Баща (bashtá) – father, usually called “tatko” or “tate"  
> Майка (máyka) – mother, addressed as “mamo” or “mayko”


	15. Daniel's Wedding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel's wedding in his pov. Technically chpts 157-59

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by the dear Hatty. Hope you like it

“You look like you’re about to piss in your pants.”

Giving Casey an unimpressed look, Daniel snorted in response as he fixed his tie in the mirror “Bullshit. I’m perfectly fine.”

“Oh yeah?” the Irishman laughed as he leaned on the wall they were facing. “Swear.” Daniel rolled his eyes. “Dude, swear on your fucking ball sack that you’re not going to piss in your pants right now.”

“Swear on my…” Daniel groaned as Casey laughed yet again. Sometimes, dealing with this guy was worth it.

Sometimes, it was just a major headache. Like now, actually.

“I am not swearing on my balls.”

Rolling his eyes while crossing his arms, Casey pointed out “I said the sack that carries your balls, not your balls. And you don’t wanna swear cuz you fucking scared. Such a wimp.”

“Don’t make me hurt you or something,” Daniel muttered, fixing his tie for probably the thousandth time. No matter how he did it, he still felt as though it was crooked.

So maybe he was a bit nervous. But _not_ scared. Just nervous. And not to the level of pissing in his pants. He was going to be fine, the wedding was going to go great, and everything would be alright.

Hopefully.

But really, how bad could it go? Everything was set, planned, and ready. Daniel could do this with his eyes closed. Hell, he’s faced scarier things like mafia bosses and mobsters and crazy psychopaths with a Rottweiler.

Daniel could do this without freaking out.

Adjusting his tie one last time just for good measure, Daniel turned to Casey and asked “How do I look?”

“Sharp as fuck, beotch,” his friend smiled as he straightened the collar of Daniel’s tuxedo jacket. “Chaerin’s gonna love your fugly ass.”

“You just told me I look sharp, asshole.”

“You do, you do, I swear!” A huge grin erupted onto his face as he exclaimed “I swear on my fucking ball sack!”

“Oh. My. Fucking. God,” Daniel groaned while covering his face in despair. This was ridiculous. How was he supposed to be ready, all prepared and shit, when his idiot best man was being a piece of shit? “You’re making me nervous.”

“I knew it!”

“Knew what?” came Johanna’s voice from behind them.

Hearing his sister’s voice actually helped calm down his furiously beating nervous heart. She was all he really had left – he didn’t count his uncles – and she was literally his everything. Turning to greet her, he was taken aback by surprise on finding her still not dressed. There was literally no fucking time left. Why wasn’t she ready? “Why aren’t you dressed yet?”

“I’m fast,” she shrugged as she sat on the fancy looking seat besides the mirror. “No biggie. That’s why I got an easy dress. I sure as hell am not spending more than a half hour getting into a dress. That shit is ridiculous. I feel so bad for Chaerin.”

God, Daniel couldn’t wait until he got to see her. He knew that she was just going to be absolutely gorgeous. “Any hints on that end?”

“Not a chance,” Johanna snorted with an eyeroll. “As if I’m going to ruin the surprise. So you ready?”

Casey, of course, felt like taking this question for him. “Nah, he’s debating whether or not to piss in his fancy white tux. I was trying to make him swear on that sexy sack of his not to do it but no one ever listens to me.”

Johanna burst out laughing to which Casey’s smile grew even bigger. Daniel was pretty sure his Irish friend was gone for his sister. He didn’t mind although Casey could be incredibly…Casey-ish sometimes. But they’d work out good if they were ever to try.

But Daniel knew they never would. Or at least not on Johanna’s end.

He could tell that she liked him but it was more towards the friend side than potential lover side. His sister had loved Venc more than anyone and despite it having been years, she still wasn’t over him. All the way to the point where she swore she’d never be with another man again. Daniel had told her that she couldn’t say stuff like that, no one really knew what was going to happen but she said she did.

Because now, she was in the market for a lady, not a guy.

It didn’t bother him though. As long as the lady was good for his sister, he was all for it. Daniel just wanted to see her happy again.

Now whether or not it was his job to tell Casey this, Daniel had no idea.

The only thing that he needed to worry about right now was one simple thing.

Not pissing in his stupid white tux.

 

 

Daniel never realized how hard it’d be not to be wringing his hands nervously as he waited for Chaerin to come in. He’d look ridiculous if he started messing with his hands while standing on the dais where everyone could see him. Johanna and Casey were standing a little to the side behind him and it was only their presence that helped settle his nerves a little. His oldest uncle – his mother’s older brother – was giving him this goofy smile, trying to get him to smile and relax a bit. It kind of helped but not really when he had his father’s older brother frowning in the seat beside him.

He had seated his parents’ families together because it was better that way. They had always gotten along well, especially after his parents had been killed. Pain hit his stomach as it churned, thinking on the thought of them. God would he love it if they had been here. Having them here, meeting Chaerin, loving her, would have been the best thing ever.

Instead, he had their killer seated behind his family.

Yeah, Daniel was probably insane because of this business.

His family didn’t know the details of his parents’ murders beyond knowing it was mobster related. Daniel had lied and said he had come home to find them dead and he had made all the house staff swear not to open their mouths. What would pointing a finger at Ivo had gotten him besides him probably dead?

That type of stress and bullshit was not needed in his life. So his family had no idea that the man seated in the row behind them with his brother-in-law and son was the murder of their beloved sibling or sibling-in-law. Or son or daughter.

Gaze catching with Joseph’s, Daniel smiled a nervous little smile before Joseph gave him a thumbs up with his own smile. Ivo had been looking around when his gaze settled on Daniel and he smirked, laughing something quietly to his company. He’d love to know what it was because both Yulian and Joseph laughed, adding something of their own to the conversation.

They were probably laughing at him for something, dammit.

Probably the white suit. Ivo lived and would die by the color black, that emo freak.

Any all thoughts were erased in a matter of seconds once the doors opened and Chaerin walked in, hand in hand with her father.

Dear Jesus Christ above, she was fucking beautiful. Absolutely stunning. Amazingly-

Daniel could probably go on and on and write poetry even though he sucked at it.

Jesus Christ.

She walked down the aisle to him, a huge beautiful smile on her face. Her long blonde hair was swept back, probably in a bun. She literally sparkled in her dress, the diamonds catching the low light at all the right angles.

Definitely worth the price. He hadn’t been allowed to see the dresses she had bought but he had told Johanna to make sure they got the bill so he could pay for everything. Told Chaerin to pick everything she wanted, no expense was going to be spared.

When she reached the stairs, he helped her up along with her parents. Her mother didn’t like him so much. Well, it was more she didn’t like what he did. She said that he was a pretty okay as a person.

That was a good enough compliment for him. The woman was very hard to please.

Pecking a kiss on his soon to be wife’s cheek, Daniel whispered “You look stunning.”

Chaerin’s smile grew wider as she murmured a thank you before the priest began to speak.

 

 

“You seriously need to chill, dude,” Casey murmured in hushed tones as Daniel fixed his clothes before they went out for the reception. Chaerin was still changing into her second dress, so he was waiting so they could go out together.

Hand in hand as husband and wife.

_I’m fucking married…holy shit._

God did he wish Venc was here to see him now.

“I told you to handle the seating arrangements.”

“And I did!”

Huffing and turning to glare at the idiot, Daniel said quietly in a hurried tone in case Chaerin’s mother would pop up out of a corner “You sat an Italian don and his underboss at the same table as the Bulgarian lord, one of his highest advisors, and his son!” It was so hard to yell when you were trying to whisper.

The plan had been for Ivo to be seated with some neutral party. Like maybe some of Daniel’s normal ungang related friends. Or even Chaerin’s family or friends. He knew that Ivo would hate to have Joseph around anyone in the mob circles.

And Casey had gone and smashed them all together.

Fucking idiot. Daniel knew he should have given the job to Johanna or at least told her to look over the arrangements. When Daniel had, it had already been too late.

“Is that a problem?” Casey asked in confusion. He didn’t understand that Ivo wasn’t like all the other gangsters out there; he didn’t want his life to be a family thing.

“Ivo doesn’t like the illegal world to be around his kid.”

Looking troubled as he scratched his head carefully so not to mess up his stupid hair, Casey mumbled “Maybe someone should have told me that.”

Daniel could have sworn he had but he wasn’t sure so he couldn’t say it. “Whatever. Too late. Hopefully, it’ll turn out alright.”

“What’s not gonna turn out alright?” Johanna whispered as she came up behind him, resting her chin on his shoulder. “Everything’s going great.”

“This idiot put the Bulgarian lord and his son with the Italian don and his underboss.”

Johanna started to silently laugh. “You’re such an idiot, Casey.”

Instead of taking the joke in stride like he would if it was anyone else, Casey actually blushed and murmured “My bad.”

“I mean, it can’t turn out that bad,” she said quickly, trying to make the Irishman feel better. “Joseph is totally smooth, he’ll handle it just fine.”

True that. The kid knew how to talk. “You’ll like him, Casey. Make sure you meet him or I’ll introduce you guys later.”

“Oh yeah?” Casey asked in interest, raising a brow. “Is he a mini lord?”

“Something like that,” Johanna laughed as she sat down to relieve her feet. “Plus, he’s brilliant. Ooh, Chaerin, you look so pretty!”

Quickly looking in the direction of the room where Chaerin had gone to get ready with the help of her judgmental mother, Daniel’s breath caught in his throat. He didn’t think he’d be able to be struck breathless again after seeing her in the ceremony but man was he so wrong. “You’re beautiful.”

“Thank you!” Chaerin laughed as she walked over, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as they touched noses. She was so tall, it was crazy.

And he loved it.

Kissing her softly but not as passionately as he’d like because Casey would probably start whistling like the stupid fucker he was, Daniel pulled away and whispered “Absolutely gorgeous, Chaerin.”

“Of course she is,” her mother snorted with an eyeroll. “Why wouldn’t she?”

“Just reiterating,” he replied with a smile that he hoped didn’t look too stiff. He really did try to make this woman happy but it was hard when she was against everything he worked. Putting his focus back on his beautiful wife, Daniel smiled “Ready?”

“Are you?” Casey cut in. “Or do I still need to get that swear out of you?”

“Motherfucker,” Daniel groaned as Chaerin and Johanna laughed but Chaerin’s mother gave them unamused looks. “Stop.”

“Only if you swear on that sack of yours.”

Johanna literally snorted and choked on her laughter, turning red on any skin that showed from how hard she was laughing. Casey looked like he just won the prize of a lifetime.

Maybe Daniel really need to tell the poor guy.

Eventually they made their way out, having to stop at tables on their way to their own. They’d give their hellos and thank yous to everyone else later. Taking a seat at their designated table, they listened to a very embarrassing toast by Casey, a sweet one by Johanna, and an incredibly overly sweet one that just suffocated a person by Chaerin’s parents.

Dinner was to be served soon, so they enjoyed their time in conversation, trying to make Chaerin’s mom like him better by telling her about the upcoming honeymoon to Greece.

“Hey, Joseph!” Johanna suddenly exclaimed, a huge smile on her face.

“Hey, Johanna,” Joseph smiled back. “How are you?” he asked once he reached the table. Daniel hadn’t seen him in a while and he looked good if not maybe a little underweight. He was grown up though; he didn’t look like a little kid anymore.

“Great! And you?”

“Hey, Joseph,” Daniel grinned. “Look at you looking all fancy.” Hopefully being seated with a Don wasn’t bad for him.

“Don’t be jealous now,” Joseph laughed. The kid had definitely hit puberty with that deep laugh and voice of his. “And I’m good,” he replied, turning back to Johanna. “I watch you every time I know you have a fight on ESPN. You kick some serious ass.”

Hell yeah she did. Daniel loved going and watching her fight. His sister was fucking badass.

“Gotta put them in their places, you know?” Johanna replied after a laugh.

“Come to meet Chaerin?” Daniel asked, helping the kid out. He looked a bit nervous under his smile and laughter. He didn’t blame him if he knew what Chaerin’s mother was like. He tightened his hold with Chaerin, loving the fact that it was them forever.

Joseph held up a cell phone. “Well, that and a picture for mayko if you guys don’t mind?”

Not at all, especially for Vesela. Daniel had really liked her. She was sweet and funny though he was sure she could be tough when she needed to be. There were times when he was in a ‘hate Ivo mood’ that he wondered what in the world the woman saw in her psychopath. “Of course!” He nodded in Joseph’s direction to Chaerin, “This is Joseph if you remember when we told you about Venc?”

Daniel had no intentions of ever letting Venc’s memory die off. He made sure to tell Chaerin all about the amazing asshole that his friend had been. He could tell Joseph liked that he had talked about Venc from the bits of happiness sparkling in his eyes.

“I remember!” Chaerin exclaimed happily. His new wife actually did everything happily which was something he loved about her. “Very nice to meet you, Joseph!” Thank you for coming! I’m sure a wedding isn’t all that exciting for a teenage boy to come to!”

Probably not. “I admit to nothing,” Joseph laughed. “For all you know, I’m having the time of my life.”

“Lies,” Johanna snorted.

Joseph must have realized that Chaerin’s parents were staring at him because he stuck out his hand for introductions. “Joseph Kavinsky.”

Chaerin’s mother gave Joseph a stiff look as she shook his hand. “And which of my son-in-law’s ‘associates’ son are you? Which empire are you inheriting?”

_This woman…why do you have to make everything hard?_

Blushing and seemingly embarrassed, Joseph answered in a careful tone “Uh, well, I’m not going to inherit anything because I don’t want it but my father runs the Bulgarians in Jersey.”

“Fascinating,” she said dryly, “Truly fascinating.”

Poor kid. “So…” Joseph started, turning back to Daniel and Chaerin. “How’d you guys meet?”

This was a particular story that Daniel loved because even this, Chaerin had done with a smile and a happy voice. It’s just the way she was. “I was walking Akira in Central Park and there was this beautiful woman who was screaming at a pigeon for pooping on her. I offered her a tissue and the rest is history.”

They continued chit chatting until Daniel remembered that Joseph had wanted a picture. After taking one with Johanna in it too, they took their seats. Johanna was on her way to hers before she bumped the table and they all cringed as her hands hit the vase and…

Down it went.

Dammit. So much for everything going perfect.

But he wasn’t going to make Johanna feel bad about it. Wasn’t worth it. “Don’t worry about it. Accidents happen,” he replied to her apology. Really, it wasn’t too huge of a deal as long as no one got hurt or dirty. Thank God it hadn’t fallen towards Chaerin.

Or worse.

Her mother.

God, that would have been horrible.

Daniel was surprised when he suddenly realized Joseph was cleaning. Yeah, that was all he needed – making a mob boss’ kid clean like a janitor. Jesus. “Leave it, Joseph.”

“The janitors will clean it,” Johanna said as she tapped Joseph’s shoulder. “Leave it.”

She was about to crouch down to help him when he didn’t move but Joseph shook his head. “I can get the big pieces,” Joseph replied as Johanna sat on her chair. “Not a big deal.”

“Let me.”

Oh Jesus no.

He definitely couldn’t have _Ivo_ cleaning. Down on the dirty floor cleaning up glass like some super of an apartment building. This was bad. Joseph and Ivo spoke to each other and Daniel’s eyes caught on the real janitors. Thank fucking God. “My Lord Kavinsky, you needn’t subject yourself. Your son shouldn’t either; a janitor will clean it. They just walked in actually.” _Work with me here._

Of course, being Ivo, the bastard was stubborn and didn’t allow it. And when Joseph hurt himself?

Daniel’s whole heart had literally stopped.

That was the absolute worse thing that could happen. _Jesus, why do you do this to me…_

Besides for that slight hiccup, the wedding went smoothly. The food had been absolutely delicious which he shouldn’t have been surprised about because he had paid good money. Eating cake had _not_ been the most fun thing in the world. If it had been up to Daniel, he wouldn’t have even eaten any at all.

But he wasn’t going to disappoint Chaerin.

So he shoved that goddamn cake down his throat.

And he had to admit, it was pretty okay.

Everything was going great, fantastic even. Dancing with his new wife in a slow dance was the best even though he had been nervous he’d mess up. He had been practicing for literally the past month to make sure he got down all the steps perfectly. Johanna had practiced with him although one time Casey literally threatened him with bodily harm if he didn’t get to try once.

The dude was weird. You just had to accept and roll with it.

The wedding was going perfect and Daniel didn’t regret not swearing on his ball sack about pissing.

Up until Ivo came up to say goodbye.

And brought up Venc’s murder.

Guilt and hurt were written all over Johanna’s face. That’s when the fear of pissing just became flat out anger. “My happiness comes with the happiness of my sister-” Daniel began to hiss before Joseph cut him off. He knew Joseph had done it on purpose. But maybe it was better that way.

For all of them, really.

 

 

“My feet hurt,” Johanna complained as they sat on the couch in his hotel room. Chaerin was in her own, having her mother help her get out of her dress and anything else wrapped up under there. Daniel would have been more than happy to do it himself but his mother-in-law said that he’d be too stupid to figure it out.

Acting like that didn’t bother him had been extremely hard.

“Mine too and I didn’t even wear heels,” he laughed.

“So a drunk Casey wanted me to sleep with him tonight. ‘And you know, maybe you’ll stay because you like me so much, you know? Jesus, you’re gorgeous.’”

Daniel burst out in laughter at her impersonation of the Irishman’s voice and accent. Oh man, was Casey going to hate himself when he was sober and realized how badly he had made his advance. “I’m so sorry.”

Laughing herself and shrugging, Johanna replied “I mean, he’s a great guy, handsome too but… I don’t know. Maybe if he was a woman.”

“One of these days, we’re going to need to tell him that you’re not looking for a dude.”

“Eh, he’d just say he could join me and her for threesomes.”

Yeah, actually, he probably would. “Is that a horrible idea?”

Johanna burst into another bout of laughter. “Maybe not, who knows. But then…like you said, who knows what will happen. Maybe somehow that Irish bastard will make me actually want to try.”

“Whatever you like,” he replied encouragingly. “I just want you happy.”

“Thanks,” she smiled. “And thank you for being ready to stand up to Lord Kavinsky.”

“Always,” he murmured as he hugged her close. “Anything for you, you know that.”

She pressed a kiss to his cheek before she stood. “I’d say have some serious sexy fun tonight but we both know you’re way too exhausted to even bother getting it up. So have a wonderful sleep with you lovely wife, brother mine.”

“You’re not funny!” he called after her in his laughs as she waved and walked out of his room.

Not funny but definitely true.

But they had a lifetime together. He and Chaerin were going to have a wonderful life together.

Here was to them.


	16. The Challenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel's meeting his future-in-laws for the 1st time. He's got to win them over by passing a test.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by my little bro. Here you go.

Maybe it’d be better if they just…didn’t know. Wouldn’t that solve lots of hassle and whatever? Give him some peace of mind?

Daniel would love some of that. He didn’t even know when the last time he had actually gotten some of that was. It just didn’t come with the job.

“How about we just tell them later down the road?” Daniel asked Chaerin for what was probably the hundredth time, not just for today but literally for just the walk up to the door. He was kind of hoping that if he asked enough, she’d agree.

It was stupid of him to think that way though. A lot of people thought that Chaerin was stupid or a pushover for the simple facts that she was a bleach blonde and extremely happy. They took her bubbliness for simplicity as though she were some idiot or would do anything you asked.

That thought was so far from the truth. Chaerin was so stubborn, it sometimes drove him nuts.

“Daniel,” she laughed while crossing her arms. “We can’t not tell them what you do!”

“I’m not saying don’t tell them,” he blustered. That would be totally awesome but even he knew they couldn’t get away with that. “It’s more like…we don’t need to rush it. You took it well but not everyone would.” It was why getting with girls was hard now; maybe they’d say they’d like a ‘bad boy’ but once you said you actually worked with gangsters?

You got shut down pretty fast.

Laughing again as she shook her head with her beautiful hair swaying with her, his girlfriend snorted “Oh, my mother is _not_ going to take it well at all. But that’s okay because as long as you show them how amazing you are, then we’re good.”

That wasn’t as reassuring as she probably thought it sounded. Sighing because there wasn’t much else he could do now, especially because they were in front of her family’s door, Daniel prepared himself for his doom.

Hopefully not his newfound relationship’s doom. Daniel really wanted to keep this relationship; have it last for a good long while. Maybe even to the point where they’d marry. And then they’d make cute little Lee-von Winter babies.

Chaerin grasped his hand firmly, probably aware of how nervous he was as she knocked and opened up the door, walking in with him in tow. “Hello! We’re here!”

A man who Daniel figured was her father came walking down the stairs of their cute little tudor home in upstate New York. He had a charming smile on his face which Daniel took as a good sign. Maybe if Daniel was lucky, he would like him. The guy seemed like a happy go lucky sort of man.

Must be where Chaerin got it from.

“You must be Daniel,” her father smiled as he came to a stop in front of them, extending out his hand. “I’m Chaerin’s father, Seong-Jin. Very nice to meet you.”

Taking the hand and shaking it while burying his nerves deep deep down, Daniel smiled “Pleasure is mine, sir.”

“Ah, this must be the German boy.”

Well that didn’t sound at all belittling. Turning and making sure his smile was extra charming, Daniel stuck out his hand for the woman giving him the death glare. “Very nice to meet you, Mrs. Lee. Daniel von Winter. The, uh, German guy.”

“Nice to meet you, young man,” Chaerin’s mother said while raising a brow at him and his extended hand, not even bothering to shake it. “You look a little nervous. Something wrong?”

Jesus, this woman. Taking his hand back and running it through his hair like he was hella slick, Daniel laughed “I’m terrified, actually.” This woman could probably sniff out a lie in seconds if she had already noticed his nerves when he had thought that he was hiding them so well.

“Good,” Mrs. Lee laughed and it actually seemed like a genuinely nice laugh. Maybe he really could win this woman over. “You should be, German boy. Not anyone gets to just waltz in here because they think they have a chance with my daughter. You’ve got to pass my tests and the ultimate challenge, blondie.”

“Mom,” Chaerin laughed while wrapping her arms around Daniel’s shoulders. “Stop pressuring him! Plus, he already passed my tests!”

“I bet you and I have different tests,” her mother snorted with an eyeroll.

“We shouldn’t all just stand here!” Mr. Lee suddenly exclaimed in all of his loud voice. Chaerin definitely got her height from him. He gestured to the living room couches. “Please, let’s sit.”

“Thank you,” Daniel replied as they walked over and took a seat. It felt like some judgement or something when he and Chaerin sat on one couch and her parents across from them.

Well, it kind of was. Her mother was very much judging him.

“Alright, German boy-”

“Daniel,” he cut in despite how rude that was. He just didn’t appreciate being constantly referred to as ‘German boy.’ It made him seem like some child about to get disciplined. “Daniel, please.”

She seemed to actually like that bit of assertiveness. Was she bugging him on purpose?

 _Shit, is she doing the whole mid game voodoo shit?_ Ivo did that a lot with people and having experienced it with that bastard, Daniel was getting a little better at recognizing it. He wasn’t sure if that’s what Chaerin’s mother was doing but hey, it was possible. Could be part of her ‘tests’.

“Daniel,” Mrs. Lee began once more, “You have family here? I believe Chaerin mentioned a sister.”

“Yes,” he smiled in true happiness. Johanna was literally his everything. “My younger sister Johanna. She’s a MMA fighter actually.” Bragging that his sister was a complete badass was one of the best parts of being her brother.

Both parents’ eyebrows rose in surprise as they shared a glance. “Really?” her father responded, the shock still evident in his booming voice. “A fighter?”

“Yup,” Daniel nodded in pride. His sister kicked some serious ass. “Something she always loved was mixed martial arts so she decided to try and go for it professionally. Seems to be going well so far.”

Chaerin’s mother looked impressed if he was reading her expression right. “Good for her. I always believe in a strong woman. I’d like to meet her one day.”

That sounded promising. If they wanted to meet Johanna then it might mean him and Chaerin had a chance for the long term. “Of course. She actually wanted to come with me today but I told her I had to face the devil alone.” _Please take the joke…_

_Or I’m so dead._

Her father did as he broke into a heavy hearty laugh that you wouldn’t expect from his lean frame. Mrs. Lee wasn’t laughing but there was a glint of amusement in her eyes. He took that as a good thing.

_Score one for Daniel._

“Fair enough,” her mother snorted in her amusement, a small smile on her face. “And what do you do? I recall something of a business but I don’t remember the specifics.”

Crap. He just had to go brag about Johanna didn’t he? _Fucking idiot._ “I’m the owner and also CEO of a financial investment business company. One of the largest here in New York.”

Now her brow rose in skepticism. “You seem a little baby faced for such a job.”

Oh did this woman have no clue. Way too much pressure on his poor shoulders. Not to mention all the gangsters he worked with.

Actually, he was supposed to mention them.

Goddammit.

“Being completely honest here, the job came to me a lot faster than it was originally supposed to. My father passed away unexpectedly so it all rested upon my shoulders. Thrust upon me much sooner than I would have liked but I think I’ve settled into it well enough.”

“Can handle responsibility,” her mother mused while nodding her head. “Very good.”

Did that mean he passed a test already? Playing with his fingers nervously, Daniel joked “Point in my favor?”

“Point in your favor,” she laughed in response. “Well done.”

He really didn’t want to ruin this afterglow of approval but Chaerin literally bumped his shoulder, urging him on. Turning and making a face at his girlfriend who just raised an eyebrow in challenge, Daniel sighed.

“Something wrong?” Mr. Lee asked curiously, his gaze flicking between them.

“I sure hope not,” Daniel smiled nervously. _Please let this blow over well._ “Just, uh, well, there’s a bit more to my job than…simple business.”

“Oh? Do you find time to work something else as well?”

“Not exactly,” he mumbled while scratching his head.

“Speak up, boy,” Mrs. Lee snorted. “What is this other bit?”

“Well,” he trailed, trying to drag on for time. “Um, well, I, uh…”

“Spit it out.”

Shit. _I can do this. Just say it, goddammit._ “My business toes into the line of some…illegality.”

If her parents’ faces were anything to go by, they definitely weren’t happy. Her mother, as he had expected, spoke first. “Clarify.”

“I do a lot of funding and overseas…investments with, uh, unsightly characters.”

Crossing her arms and giving him the evil death glare all over again, Chaerin’s mother said in a stiff voice “Tell me about these ‘unsightly characters.’”

“Um, well…” What was the easiest way to go about this? Jesus, help him. “Currently, one of my biggest associates is the Bulgarian mob in Hoboken. I’ve others such as a couple factions of the Irish mob but the Bulgarians are my largest and, well, probably the most important and influential.” It was crazy how the tables had turned from them being with the Russians to being hand in hand with the Bulgarians.

The treaty they had done all those years ago was largely in Ivo’s favor because of all the damage Daniel’s family had caused. It was okay now because his company was profiting well, but in the beginning, the amount of debt accumulated was not a nice number to read.

Her mother probably wished she had another pair of arms so she could cross them again. But probably harder this time. “Mobs. So gangsters are your associates, German boy?”

Daniel had most likely lost that point he had won in his favor. He was ‘German boy’ again. “Not all of them but yes. I had known that my father did…’dabble’ with them but I had no idea the extent until I had to take over. It did come as quite a surprise to me, honestly. But my family business is it so…”

“You gotta do what you gotta do?”

“Something like that,” he tried to laugh, hoping to lighten the mood a little. Her stare was really starting to creep him the hell out. For some reason, Daniel was literally convinced that she might actually kill him today. Bury him in the nice backyard they probably had.

“But Daniel himself doesn’t do anything!” Chaerin chimed in quickly, coming to his aid, thank God. If there was to be any convincing, it was because their daughter kept playing with their minds. “He works, like, treaties and loans and overlooks things but he’s just a business guy. A suit, nothing else.”

“Have you ever harmed anyone before?” her father asked in an almost curiosity. Chaerin’s words helped a little because her father’s face relaxed a bit but he was still wary. “Killed?”

Jesus Christ. “No way,” Daniel said quickly in an almost panicked tone. Dear God, did he hope he’d never have to kill someone. Just bodies freaked him out, especially after his parents, seeing the pictures of Yakovlev, and poor Venc. “I would never ever do that.”

Her father nodded in thought and Chaerin’s mother took her turn. “But harmed?”

_Venc._

That would never stop hurting. Daniel had loved him like a brother; he had never had someone that close to him before. Not until he had met Casey afterwards. And Venc had been perfect for Johanna. “Indirectly, yes, I have. But that was when I was younger and stupid and didn’t understand that there are consequences that come with actions…or inactions, for that matter.”

Chaerin already knew all about Venc and because of that, she knew how much he was hurting from just these thoughts and words. His girlfriend hugged him tight before pressing a kiss to his temple. “You didn’t know what was going to happen.”

“But I should have,” Daniel sighed while shaking his head. Because he really should have. He had been so ignorant in the workings of mobs.

So fucking stupid.

And that stupidity had costed Vencislav his life.

Refocusing his thoughts, Daniel glanced between Chaerin’s parents with a determined gaze. There was no way he was going to lose out on this beautiful woman because of her parents. “Look. I get what I do isn’t ideal. Possibly unsafe if you piss off the wrong people but I’ve never actively hurt anyone and I have no intentions to. I love Chaerin more than I’ve ever loved any girl and I truly hope that you’ll see that she comes first to me above my work. I have no intentions of ever letting her get hurt.”

At the very least, his words were making their minds consider. That was a good sign.

“How about we start with dinner and go from there?” her father finally smiled.

A smile was a good thing, right?

 

 

The dinner had been fine. Delicious actually and he knew Johanna was going to give him hell for not inviting her to delicious Korean food. Like extra amazing Korean food. Everything was perfectly fine, even the conversation. Nice and light.

Yup, everything was going so well that Daniel was almost convinced that he had won this terrifying battle.

Up until dessert came.

And she served him one of the sweetest things in the world.

German chocolate cake.

With three fucking layers.

How in the holy hell was he supposed to eat this?

Daniel, of course, didn’t voice these thoughts as he accepted the cake with a smile. He even smiled down at the stupid cake. “Thank you.”

“I actually prefer yellow cake but I saw the word German and thought of you,” her mother smiled in a patronizing way that he definitely did not like.

Clearing his throat as he got comfortable on the couch with his slice of death, Daniel replied “Uh, German chocolate isn’t actually German. The guy who made the chocolate had the last name German and it was named after him. It used to be German’s but the company dropped the s.”

Chaerin’s mother rose her brow as though she was thinking he was crazy for knowing all this history just for chocolate. And he kind of was in a way. The only reason he knew all this was because one time Johanna had gotten obsessed with German chocolate everything and she decided she wanted to see what made it so German.

His sister had been quite upset when she discovered it was made by an American dude who had roots in England. The name was misleading bullshit apparently.

“Well, the more you know.”

“Yup,” he murmured as he still stared down at his cake. Taking a deep breath, he stabbed it with his fork and broke off a bite. _Here we go. Don’t barf._

Daniel put the bite in his mouth and swallowed as fast he could. He was not going to be seen as rude by not eating their dessert. _It’s just cake_. Once the first bite went down, he ate the rest as fast as possible, trying not to dally on the flavor and barely even taking the time to chew before swallowing.

After having finished it, he set his plate on the coffee table with a smile and gulped his black bitter coffee down as fast as he could to take away the nasty sweetness of the cake. He set that on the table too once it was empty. “Thank you.”

Mr. Lee was looking at him with a funny look and Chaerin was quietly laughing behind her hand. She knew he hated sweets.

What was interesting was her mother with her huge smile.

Then she broke into full blown laughter.

“Oh, you are something, Daniel,” she snorted through her laughter. “I don’t like this cake either but I just had to see you try and eat it. Chaerin already said that you don’t like sweets. I have some rice cakes in the kitchen for you. I’m sure you’ll like those better.”

His mouth literally dropped open in amazement. This wasn’t… “This was your test the whole time, wasn’t it?” Oh Jesus, this woman.

More laughter as she nodded and set her coffee cup down on the coffee table. “Good one, yes?”

“No.”

Smiling in amusement and her brown eyes sparkling, Mrs. Lee replied “I may not like what you do, German boy, but I just might end up liking you. We’ll just have to see in the coming time, won’t we?”

A huge smile grew on his face. She fucking liked him.

Daniel was pretty sure he just won the challenge today. The devil wasn’t taking him today.


	17. The Shopping Trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chaerin and Daniel and shopping for their future home. Cuteness ensues

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by the lovely Hatty. Do enjoy.  
> It's a bit short but I think it's to the point and sweet.

“No.”

Daniel glared at her. Not in anger because Chaerin realized that him getting angry at her was rare. He loved her a bit too much for that. She couldn’t wait until she drove him crazy and he wanted to blow. For some reason, she’d love to know how he acted when he was angry.

“Why no?” her fiancé finally muttered grudgingly after staring at her with determined eyes for five minutes.

Standing next to the sleek black leather couch while sliding a hand along the back cushions, Chaerin snorted “You tell me, babe.”

Crossing his arms to match his completely amused looking face, Daniel smirked “No, _babe,_ you tell me. If I knew, I wouldn’t have asked.”

Sighing while rolling her eyes at her amazing dork, she answered “My dear Daniel, this couch is not suitable for married life.”

Now it was his turn to roll those beautiful eyes of his. Chaerin absolutely adored those eyes and fallen for them the minute she had turned around from screaming at the pigeon and stared into them. His blue eyes were so piecing and beautiful that she had totally ‘extra’ thoughts of fainting the first time she had looked into their beauty.

God did she love this man.

“Not suitable for married life,” he repeated as he plopped down onto the couch. Making sure to get extra comfortable, Daniel looked up at her and added “I think it suits me just fine.”

Resting her elbows on the back of the couch and setting her chin in her palms, Chaerin rolled her eyes again while blowing a piece of hair out her face. Daniel’s face lit into a smile as he waited patiently for her reply. “You’re not married yet.”

“Chaerin, there is nothing legitimately wrong with this couch. I need a really good reason why I can’t buy this.”

“Fine, fine,” she muttered. “It’s too…bachelor style.”

A brow rose in questioning. “Bachelor style.”

“Yeah,” she shrugged as she made her way around the couch and sat beside her handsome fiancé. “It’s not cozy. It’s very nice but I want cozy. And, you know, family like. Like the couches my parents have. They’re comfy and homey. This is just…”

“Too sexy to be homey?”

“Something like that,” Chaerin laughed as she shook her head to his ridiculous response. “I want something where it won’t feel like our place is a bachelor’s pad. Get it?”

He was nodding but Chaerin wasn’t sure he actually got it.

She knew for a fact he didn’t when he pointed out this all glass coffee table that he wanted.

Their shopping day continued much in that fashion. Daniel would point out something he thought would look great for the house and Chaerin would give the whole ‘too sexy to be homey’ speech again. It wasn’t that what he was picking was ugly. On the contrary, they were beautiful. However, Chaerin wanted their house to feel like more than just opulent mansion. It had to feel like people actually lived there.

Somewhere where their future kids could enjoy growing up in.

That was what made a home a home.

Hominess.

They were checking out rugs when Chaerin pointed to one she absolutely loved. It was your normal square shape but it had an intricate design while using black, white, and gray. It was really pretty and she thought it’d look great in the house. “I want that one!”

When Daniel didn’t reply, she turned and stared curiously at her fiancé. “Daniel? You okay?” He was slightly pale and it looked like he was…scared? Lost in his head maybe? Walking back over the him, she gently shook him. “Daniel?”

Panicked gaze flicking from the rug to her, he quickly shook himself awake and murmured “Pick a different one.”

As if she was just going to let that whole thing go. “Daniel, what’s wrong.”

“Just pick a different one.”

Crossing her arms and tilting her head in a challenging manner, she said “I will, I don’t mind, but you need to tell me what just happened.”

“It’s really-”

She put a hand up in his face to stop him. Bullcrap wasn’t something she bothered listening too. “Tell me.”

Letting out a huff as he ran his fingers through his hair, Daniel answered in a quiet tone “I had a carpet similar to that. In my room.”

 _Oh-kay…_ “Yeah? So, nostalgia?”

Snorting and looking like he was actually about to shed a tear or two, he said “Not the good kind. My father was murdered on a carpet like that.”

Oh.

Shit. Chaerin definitely didn’t want that carpet anymore. No way would she make him suffer horrible memories just because it was pretty and would look fantastic in their living room. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up those kinds of thoughts.”

Shaking his head with a sigh, her wonderful fiancé replied “Don’t worry about it. You didn’t know.”

The deaths of her soon to be in-laws were kind of a mystery to her. All Daniel had told her was that they had been murdered in the name of the business which she took to mean by gangsters. Other than that small detail, he wouldn’t tell her anything else and she felt too guilty to push him. The ease of grief came over time, not by someone pushing you when you weren’t ready yet.

Daniel just wasn’t ready yet.

Especially not sense now she knew that his father had been killed in his room.

Jesus.

Randomly touching some carpet without looking because she was still focused on her lovely man, she tried to change the subject. “This one works too.”

Her fiancé burst into laughter and it wasn’t until she turned around that she understood why. The rug she was now holding was so far the opposite of the last. It was unattractively colorful with blotches of hot pink and neon green everywhere.

“I don’t think that one works,” Daniel continued to laugh. “Not at all. Whatsoever. No way. Just not happening, babe. Over my bloody dead body.”

Yeah, over hers too. This thing was literally revolting. “I agree. Totally, totally agree. This thing is hideous. Who the hell would even buy this?”

Coming to stand beside her and touching the rug for himself, Daniel snorted “A complete and utter fool. Ew. I’ve been contaminated from just touching this.”

“Don’t be so dramatic,” she couldn’t help but laugh. “My dear bae is so extra.”

“Well duh,” Daniel agreed. “But I mean, you knew that already so why you gotta go aroun’ try an’ makin’ issues?”

Chaerin shook her head while rolling her eyes. “Daniel, you’re not even close to thug, please don’t try. You embarrass yourself and also me. You’ll ruin my street cred if anyone heard that.”

The laughter returned with his eyes glowing bright and his face beautifully flushed with color. “What street cred? Hate to break it to you, Chaerin, but you’ve got less street cred than me. And that’s saying a lot because my cred is shit even though I hang out with gangsters in my working time.”

When he had first told her that months ago, Chaerin had totally thought that it was just a joke.

Turned out he was serious.

She had been shocked. The charming and wonderful man she was falling for worked for the mafia? She hadn’t been able to grasp her head around it at all. Then he had explained that he didn’t work _for_ the mafia but rather, _with._

That hadn’t actually sat with her any better.

But she had liked him too much to just give him up for that reason so Chaerin had acted like it didn’t bother her at all. At the time, she had figured that with time, she’d learn to deal with it.

And so far she had. Daniel didn’t bring that type of work outside of well, work and so it was separate from her.

Something she appreciated extremely.

Her parents hadn’t taken it too well, lecturing and worrying for her after Daniel had gone home that fateful dinner months ago. But she told them that everything would turn out great, they’d see.

And so far so good.

Hopefully, it would stay that way.

Throwing an arm across his shoulders and slouching onto him, she laughed “Fine. We are the two most dorkiest un street cred filled people to ever exist.”

Smiling as he turned to look at her, he nodded and said “Sounds good but…”

“But?”

“But I’ve still got way more cred than you.”

Slapping him one atop the back of his head, she snorted “In your dreams, only, sweet thang.”

After rugs and other assorted living room decorations, they moved onto kitchen appliances. All it was was simply picking out appliances – mixers, meat grinders, toasters.

Easy.

Or it should have been.

Like seriously, it should not have been so difficult.

“No,” she sighed. If someone were to keep a tally on how many times she had said that word today, the count had to be at least more than a hundred. No way it was any less than that. It felt like she had said no more than she had had conversation today.

“Why,” Daniel sighed. He was probably thinking the same exact thing she was except in terms of the word ‘why.’

“C’mon, Daniel, seriously. What in the world do we need with a shaved ice machine?”

“Duh,” he grumbled, “We get to make shaved ice. Like ICEE’s and shit. Duh.”

“Sigh, Daniel, sigh.”

“Sigh, Chaerin, sigh.”

A smile grew on her face despite how hard she tried to stop it, just to so she could teach him a lesson.

Guess his lesson would have to happen another time.

“ICEE’s and shit sound good,” Chaerin laughed before dragging him in for a kiss. They spent the day going back and forth with words and yet it had been entirely enjoyable.

Only good things had to be in their future.


	18. Bonnie to My Clyde

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The potato launcher incident mentioned in chpt 170

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy ;)
> 
> Timelinish: Septemberish 2009  
> So a couple months after San Diego

“Dude, this sounds extremely complicated.”

Joseph read over the instructions on his father’s laptop sitting atop his bed once more. “Well…yeah, yeah it does. But c’mon, between me and you, I think we can do this.” It sounded too awesome to just not even try. No way did Joseph want to miss out on a cool project just because he and Emilio might be too stupid.

They’d just have to get smarter.

The ever fantastic bromilio looked skeptical. _Extremely skeptical_. Truthfully? Joseph didn’t blame him. “Ignoring how difficult the building process itself sounds, where do we get that kind of stuff? What, me and you just go on a shopping trip to Home Depot or something?”

“That was actually what I was figuring, yeah. Only a fifteen minute walk.”

“Yeah, all the way to Jersey City,” Emilio snorted while dropping down onto Joseph’s bed which he had been standing by moments before, jostling both Peanut and the laptop. Peanut threw his friend a nasty look at being disturbed. “Sounds like too much effort, my dear broseph. For that matter, where in the heck are we going to get the money to pay for it? We need at least maybe twenty or thirty bucks. Ain’t cash I got, dude.”

Yeah, Joseph had already thought about that. He had some cash but didn’t particularly want to spend it all for this… “I’ll get from my parents. They won’t mind.” That was actually partially a lie because he wasn’t exactly allowed to just ask for money randomly when he felt like it. While Joseph was technically a ‘rich kid,’ his parents preferred that he wasn’t treated that way. He was given an allowance once a week and if he did something extra like help clean the garage or something, he would get paid in either money or something he wanted.

There was no random thirty bucks just because. It didn’t work that way.

But Joseph had another plan anyways. “My dad keeps shoeboxes in his closet. He won’t mind if I borrow thirty.” Also partially a lie but Joseph would handle it. This project sounded too fun to miss out on. “I got it covered, my dude.”

Running his hand through his hair which was short and spiked after his recent haircut while staring up at the ceiling, Emilio yawned “You sure we’re allowed to touch that?”

“I got it covered, bruh. Seriously.”

Emilio sat up and looked at him dubiously. “Joseph.”

“Emilio,” he sang as he peeked out of his room. “Mayko?” He waited to see if he’d get a reply when he heard the shower turn on.

Perfect.

“Let’s go,” Joseph called behind himself to Emilio as he walked down the hall to his parents’ room. His mother had left the door open but the door to the bathroom was closed. “All clear.”

Despite his misgivings, Emilio was right behind him. They weren’t the trouble twins for nothing. It was do or die together. “How much trouble could we get in for this?”

“Hmm,” Joseph murmured as he opened his dad’s closet. Despite the confidence he was portraying for Emilio’s sake, Joseph was a little nervous. Technically, he was allowed to go into his father’s closet if he needed something or was asked to. This situation was kind of the same, right? Joseph did _need_ something. Thirty bucks. “Well, depends which part you’re asking about.”

Sitting down on the floor behind Joseph and watching, Emilio replied “All of them, amigo. Kinda especially taking the money.”

Crouching as he reached down and opened one of the boxes in the very back of the closet, Joseph lied “I told you, it’s totally cool. Plus, he won’t mind just thirty bucks.” He couldn’t mind it that much, could he? No way. There were stacks in here. His father couldn’t possibly miss thirty.

“If you’re super super positive…” Emilio trailed in worry as he watched Joseph count thirty. “I really don’t know though, dude.”

“We’ll be fine,” Joseph assured as he closed up his selected box and put it back where it belonged. Standing after Emilio, he backed out of the closet and shut it before they quickly went out the room, back to his. He set the money on his dresser before opening his own closet and pulling out a pair of jeans. Changing quickly, Joseph grabbed the cash and put it safely in his pocket before he placed his favorite snapback on his head. He turned and smiled to Emilio sitting on his bed.

“Sexy,” Emilio approved as he nodded, trying to hold back his smile. Standing and walking over to Joseph, he pressed a kiss on his cheek before whispering “I like the black jeans better, sugar.”

“You did not just call me sugar!” Joseph called after Emilio who was already out the room and probably down the stairs. “So dead, pookie!”

Their trip to Home Depot hadn’t actually been long although making sure they picked out the correct pvc pipes took a bit of rereading and looking. One of the workers was nice enough to cut them down to the size that they needed without the extra charge which was totally awesome. They were now sitting in the living room after having moved the coffee table behind the couch to make sure they had lots of floor space.

“’Kay, so…” Emilio trailed as he went over the directions once more. “This piece gets glued to the edge of that pipe,” his boyfriend said as he pointed out the reducer and the pipe they were working on. “And then…oh hey, that’s it after we put that last pipe into the reducer. Cool, cool. We just have to let it dry for a day.”

“Awesome,” Joseph murmured as he focused on cleanly spreading the pvc cement on the reducer and putting it into the coupler. “What’s after the 24 hours?”

Scrolling down on the laptop, Emilio responded “After…oh okay, so after we drill a hole for the spark igniter thing and then…”

“What are you guys building?” his mother asked for what was probably the tenth or so time. They just kept telling her that it was a surprise. Then, like right now, she’d try again.

“Mrs. Kavinsky,” Emilio laughed as he shook his head. “The answer hasn’t changed, you know.”

He wasn’t looking at his mother who stood in the kitchen getting dinner ready because he was focused on making sure the second pipe was glued properly but Joseph could easily see her roll her eyes. “I worry when you people start saying stuff like ‘spark igniter thing.’”

“All in the name of science, mayko,” Joseph mumbled, still completely engrossed on holding the pieces straight. He wanted this to end up perfect.

“Uhuh.”

“Fun science,” his boyfriend added as he stretched his stiff muscles. They had been sitting here for awhile now. “Because regular is pure garbage.”

“I like biology,” Joseph said as he carefully set their project down on the floor. Seemed to be drying well. “It lets you understand how everything works. The deep deep layers, not just the stuff you find on the surface.”

And, you know, helped you pull animals from your dreams.

One day people too.

“Biology is bull,” Emilio muttered as he started to pick up some of the mess. “Pure garbage that just wants to give me headaches and bad grades.”

“Sweetheart, the school year has barely even started,” his mother chimed in as she cleaned a piece of steak. They were supposed to have steak and vegetables today which sounded delicious to Joseph. His piece of steak was usually half that of his parents but at least he was eating.

“Yeah, well, bio is still stupid,” Emilio grumbled after he stood and walked over to the garbage in the kitchen. “Garbage like this garbage that I’m throwing away.”

“Is it still a surprise now that you guys are done?”

Joseph grabbed the rest of the junk as he laughed. “You heard about the igniter but not the 24 hours, huh?”

She looked at him curiously. “Oh, it has to dry first?”

“Yup. We don’t need it exploding on us.”

Emilio nodded solemnly. “That’d be horribly unfortunate. All my beauty, wasted.”

Both Joseph and his mother exploded into laughter. “No,” Joseph snorted, “We can’t have that or anything. Terrible.”

Washing her little cutting board, his mother asked “But why are you guys making something that explodes? Don’t think I’m comfortable with that.”

“It’s not supposed to explode, mayko,” he replied as he picked up their beautiful piece of work and set it carefully on the couch so they could move the table back. “It’s gonna be awesome.”

“Like so awesome, Mrs. Kavinsky, that it’ll be called awesome awesomeness of the awesomest,” Emilio assured with a serious face that he usually couldn’t even manage. His boyfriend could probably never play poker. He’d lose so badly just from his lack of poker face.

“I worry for your sanity sometimes, Emilio” his mother laughed.

Nodding as he laughed and shut down his father’s laptop, Joseph agreed “We all do, mayko.”

“Hey, hey, hey,” Emilio cut in as he held up the creation, examining their handiwork. “My sanity is completely safe, thank you. You guys will see tomorrow just how awesome this baby is.”

Emilio went home after dinner, Maria coming and picking him up. They were both already dying for it to be tomorrow so they could try the stupid thing out. The wait was killing them.

But at the moment, something else was killing Joseph.

Guilt.

Counting out thirty dollars from his meager savings which were now only ten, Joseph shut the little box he kept his money in and set it back in his closet. Steeling his nerves because he just might be getting in trouble tonight, he walked to his parents’ room with Peanut trailing behind him. He was about to knock when his mother opened the door and shut off the light. “Hey, baby, what’s up?”

“Uh,” he peered around her into the dark room. “Tatko’s sleeping already?”

“Oh no, he’s in the garage.”

“Ah, okay. Thanks, my lady.”

Making their way down the stairs and to the connecting door, Peanut waited patiently as if she was some queen as Joseph opened the door for them. “Hey tatko,” Joseph called as they went down the steps.

“Brat,” his father murmured as he stood over something on one of his work tables. Joseph couldn’t even tell what it was until he stood beside his father. “What’s up.”

“That’s a gun.” Such an understatement. It was a freaking assault rifle or something. He had never gotten to see one up close like this. Actually, he’d never seen one period. Maybe caught a glimpse when they had gone to stay with tetíncho when the shit with Damyan happened and his uncle had to back his mob/father’s things.

“That it is,” his father said quietly, his focus entirely on the gun as he lifted it and examined each part carefully. When he was…satisfied maybe? his father set it back down and turned to pay attention to Joseph next to him. “Something up?”

Joseph was still very much lost in looking at an assault rifle. “Uh…”

“Joseph.”

“Right,” he mumbled as he turned to look at his father. He held out the thirty dollars. “I owe you these.”

One of his father’s brows rose in confusion as he took the money and spread it between thumb and finger to see the three tens. “You…owe me thirty bucks?”

“Um, yeah. Me and Emilio are building something and we needed to go to Home Depot to buy stuff. I took money from one of your shoeboxes without asking. I’m sorry.” Admitting to his mistakes before anyone tried to make him was usually the best way to avoid punishment.

Joseph generally preferred that he avoided punishment when he could.

His father was nodding slowly while still staring down at the money in his hand. Joseph was shocked when he handed the money back. When he didn’t move to take it, his father shook the offered money until Joseph did. “I appreciate the honesty and also the fact that you realized your mistake and wanted to fix it. You recognizing that staying quiet until I noticed wasn’t the right thing to do is the reason you get to keep those.”

Blinking down at the money in hand, Joseph was still pretty much struck dumb. Just like that and everything was fine? “But I practically stole from you.”

“Not practically,” his father corrected as he leaned on the work table. “You did steal from me.”

Rubbing his head nervously, Joseph mumbled while still looking down “Uh, yeah, I guess so. I am really sorry, though. I didn’t want to ask mayko for the money. And well, kinda didn’t want to spend my own. I figured you wouldn’t miss thirty bucks.”

“What changed your mind?”

Sighing, Joseph lifted his head and looked into his father’s piercing gaze. “The guilt. And…well, I figured if I said something instead of you just finding out…punishment could be avoided.”

“Ah.”

“Yeah.”

Letting out his own sigh, his father turned back to the gun on the table. “Punishment avoided. Again, thank you for your honesty and recognizing what’s right.”

Watching as his father pulled a black suitcase from under the table, Joseph decided he might as well satisfy his curiosity. There was no longer that feeling of possible impending doom. “So…that’s…yours?”

He unzipped the bag and placed the gun carefully into its imprinted spot. “Sort of. It’s more the ‘tester.’ I like, then I buy a shit ton of them.”

“Do you like?”

“From what I see, yes. Now just depends on from what I test tomorrow.”

Looks like both Joseph and his father will be shooting things tomorrow then.

 

 

“And now it’s time for the hairspray!” Joseph said excitedly, totally ready to see how this baby worked.

Emilio was behind him, shaking the can of hairspray before he began to spray it into the chamber for the seven seconds that were required. “And sealed!” he exclaimed in just as much excitement as Joseph was feeling after quickly putting the plug back on the back. “We are a go, sergeant.”

“Nice!” His finger was already on the trigger and ready to go.

In hindsight, there was a reason they always said to not put your finger on the trigger until you were going to shoot. Or that other thing where they say ‘outside use only.’ Or how about the one where you should at least remember to open the door?

They were two idiots.

Because they remembered none of that.

At least, not until they gaped at the shattered glass of the backyard sliding door.

“Oh, we’re so fucked,” Emilio whispered with wide eyes.

He was about to agree with his friend and his foul mouth when the sound of his mother’s voice halted his words in his throat. “The hell was that?” she called as he heard her coming down the stairs fast. She probably thought they were hurt.

Yeah, it wasn’t them who was hurt.

“Sorry door,” Joseph whispered. He could practically see his mother’s shocked and possibly angry face without even turning around. But she was definitely behind them, he could tell. Feel that presence of ‘you guys are so dead.’

“What. The. Hell.”

Slowly putting the gun down, Joseph turned around with a panicked smile on his face. Emilio did the same as they flicked furtive glances to each other. Clearing his throat, Emilio replied “Um, well, Mrs. Kavinsky, have I ever told you how that green shirt really makes your eyes shine? Beautiful.”

His mother’s hard and angry glare was the only thing that kept Joseph’s laugh deep in his belly. That same stare was making Emilio cringe. There was also the fact that she was absolutely silent with that glare of hers.

“Mayko…we’re sorry…?”

“Sorry?” she snorted while crossing her arms, the fury written in her stance. “Well, gee, yeah sorry. That’s really great. Let’s just ignore the broken door! What the hell were you two doing!”

Joseph may not have gotten in trouble about the money but he was definitely dead now. “Potato gun…?”

“And like the couple geniuses that you two are, shot a freaking potato through glass! Real smart! Let’s ignore the stupidity for a moment, how about how dangerous that was!”

There was an inkling in his brain that telling her that they hadn’t planned on shooting inside wasn’t a good idea right now.

“We’re really sorry,” Emilio said quickly, practically breaking his fingers from how hard he was wringing them.

Her hands were on her hips now, but the blazing anger was still very much in her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak when the front door opening stopped her. They all turned their gazes and watched as his father walked in, talking on the phone. Joseph was thankful that the man wasn’t paying attention to why they were all standing here as he walked to his office.

Oh man, he was in so much trouble today.

Crossing her arms once more, his mother called “Ivo, I need you. C’mere.”

Both he and Emilio shared an almost terrified glance.

Coming out of his office with a small suitcase in his hand and still paying attention to his phone although he wasn’t speaking anymore, his father made his way over. “What’s up.”

“Pick up your head and tell me.”

Raising his head after putting his phone in his pocket, his father froze, eyes wide. “The fuck.”

Scratching his head, Emilio spoke up first. “Uh…we may have forgotten to open the door.”

“Or play outside,” Joseph added helpfully. “Also…maybe…not leaving my finger on the trigger would have been helpful.”

His father’s face was still blank as he glanced around at the damage and then between Joseph and Emilio, and finally, at the gun now on the floor. Setting the suitcase on the floor, his father sat down on the couch, resting his elbows on his knees, and face in his palms.

Then he started to shake.

_Shake?_

Joseph didn’t think it was possible but his mother was even angrier. “Oh my God, are you seriously laughing? For God’s sake, Ivo, grow the fuck up! Look at this mess!”

Leaning back into the couches while still covering his face, his father continued to laugh. Hell, he was laughing even harder than before. “I-I’m sorry! I swear!”

He and his boyfriend shared yet another glance, both of them reflecting the slight relief they were each feeling in their eyes. If he was laughing, that had to be a good thing.

“Ivo,” his mother gritted out. “This isn’t funny.”

The hysterics continued to his mother’s angry gaze for what could literally be another ten minutes. His father literally didn’t stop to the point when he finally was able to catch his breath, his face was incredibly red. He cleared his throat before letting out one last laugh. “Okay, I’m good.”

“Well isn’t that wonderful.”

Once more clearing his throat, his father took a deep breath before turning to Joseph. “Let’s start from the beginning. What the fuck?”

“Uh,” Joseph began, scratching his head. “Well…”

“We built a potato launcher,” Emilio cut in helpfully. “We possibly should have done the loading outside and possibly-”

“Kept my finger off the trigger.”

Emilio blushed for their stupidity. “Yeah, definitely that one.”

His father actually looked like he wanted to laugh again but one glance shared with Joseph’s furious mother caused his mouth to stay shut. “Definitely that one. Neither of you hurt?”

“Just my door,” his mother smiled in one of those scary smiles that meant you were going to die.

“Doors get fixed, Vesela.”

“We’re super sorry, we swear,” Emilio said quickly. “Like really. We should have been outside.”

Joseph nodded, “Definitely outside.”

Sighing as he stood, his father stooped down and picked up their creation. “Few things. First, I’m keeping this until I feel like you guys deserve to get it back. Maybe when you guys are less inflicted with plain stupidity.” He looked to his still very furious wife and her crossed arms. “I’ll call someone to come measure and see if we can get it fixed by today.”

“We’ll clean up the mess,” Joseph offered in hopes that his mother would look just a little less mad. He didn’t like when she had that angry pointed at him. “Don’t worry about it.”

Rolling her eyes but without much feel to the movement, his mother uncrossed her arms and sighed “Thank you. You guys put on some shoes and I’ll start.”

His father was examining their gun closely. “Nice work though. It’s really well put together. I wonder how much damage this could cause to a person…”

“Illegal use, Mr. Kavinsky,” Emilio snorted with an eyeroll before he walked over with Joseph to get their shoes and the broom from the closet. “Not how it’s supposed to go.”

“Technically, you guys are the ones who broke the law today.”

That made Emilio halt in his tracks. Spinning around quickly, his boyfriend said in a stiff tone “What do you mean.”

Smiling because it was probably making his father happy to point out that a detective’s kid screwed up, he revealed “You created a firearm without a permit. You have shot a firearm without a permit and in residential limits. Broke the law, Puerto Rican brat. Could possibly be a felony though I’m not positive.”

Joseph had actually already known this. When he had looked up potato launchers, there was that list of related searches at the bottom of Google and one was ‘are potato guns illegal.’

That lead to some research.

He hadn’t told Emilio all that though.

“You’re serious,” Emilio said with some doubt filling his voice. He probably thought Joseph’s father was just trying to mess with his head.

Sadly, that just wasn’t the case.

“It’s true,” Joseph responded, resting his arm on his shorter boyfriend’s shoulder. God, was it awesome to be taller than someone. “I just, uh, didn’t mention that part.”

Shaking his head in disbelief as he turned back around to get his shoes after shrugging off Joseph’s arm, Emilio muttered “I hate both of you. I’m a felon now.”

“So fucking dramatic,” his father laughed from the living room.

“A felon!”

Making sure to keep his voice low and checking that they weren’t within earshot, Joseph whispered in his boyfriend’s ear “Are you Bonnie to my Clyde now?”

“Pft, I’m Clyde to your Bonnie, sugar.”


	19. A Typical Sunday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What a typical Sunday lunch is like. Family, being annoying, starting some shit. Timotei with a headache

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those with Timotei withdrawal. Includes quite a few flashbacks just because  
> Requested by my annoying but awesome bro
> 
> Timelinish: Nov 2003  
> Couple weeks before Timotei dies  
> Timotei: 59  
> Joseph: 8  
> Andrey: 9  
> Anka: 7  
> Vesela: 31  
> Ivo: 34  
> Nikol: 33  
> Yulian: 37

“That makes no sense,” Joseph muttered while scrunching his nose at the words. “It’s not even possible.”

“You make no sense,” Andrey snapped back, clutching his fork tight. The elder of his grandchildren generally had a temper, especially when it was Joseph he was facing. Truly, Timotei would never understand why. Joseph was a quiet boy who rarely went on the offensive.

“It’s called imagination for a reason, loser,” Andrey continued, “Why don’t you get some?”

Joseph opened his mouth for some kind of stinging retort because when he wanted to, his mouth could be as harsh as his father’s, but Timotei interrupted before the boys could carry on. Why his two older grandchildren couldn’t get along, he had no idea. How he wished they could simply get over their differences. “It is Sunday, gentlemen.”

Both boys looked slightly guilty from his chastisement. At least that was something. “Sorry, dyádo,” they both chimed at once.

“Thank you,” he smiled, appreciative that they easily recognized their wrongdoing. “Why must we constantly knock upon one another? Is it worth the effort you guys exert?”

“Yes,” Ivo snorted from where he sat beside Joseph, catching the line of conversation. There were days – which arrived far too frequently now – where Timotei quite literally wanted to find a way to keep Ivo quiet. Vesela wouldn’t appreciate him cutting out Ivo’s tongue or sewing that obnoxious mouth shut either. Breaking his jaw seemed to be something Timotei kept coming back to. Cruel, yes, but it would heal. There were days where Ivo genuinely deserved it. Like that time at Coney Island.

Vesela had been furious when her husband had come home the next day with a horribly bruised face. But Timotei hadn’t been able help himself. It had gone too far, especially in front of children.

_“You will watch your mouth next time, understood? Only speak when you actually have something of value to say.” Ivo still was silent, holding his jaw tight and not meeting his eyes, trying not to let Timotei see the blazing anger in them. It had taken years for him to get that temper under control. “Understood? Your mouth runs far too much. You have no filter and you better find where ever yours has gone.”_

_Removing his hand to reveal the nasty bruise growing, the fire in Ivo's eyes died down as he lowered his head and whispered “Understood. My apologies.”_

_Sighing and shaking his head, he took a sit in his chair and tapped Ivo’s own. “Sit. Sit and talk.”_

_He took a seat but his mouth stayed closed as he kept his gaze on the redwood table, running his finger along the top. His son-in-law was quite literally a mess. A jumble trying to stay together. Timotei truly felt for the boy; he had been through far too much in such a young life. Once in a while, like now, Timotei would sit him down and try to help carry whatever pressure was there._

_Why he found it so hard to stay angry at this young man, he truly had no clue._

“It’s sooo worth it,” Ivo laughed with a bite of bread. “It gives you world’s amount of satisfaction, Timotei.”

He could tell Joseph was trying to hold himself from laughing. Timotei loved that Joseph and Ivo seemed to be getting along better now. Blessings come to those with patience.

However, at the moment, Timotei had no patience for Ivo and his annoying tendencies. “Thank you, Ivo, for your incredibly insightful wisdom,” Timotei disdained. “Truly, I have no idea what we would have done without that bit of knowledge.”

“I know,” the other man grinned, his one small dimple making its appearance. “That’s why my knowledge is always free. That way I can educate you people.”

“Wow, I feel fifty times smarter than I did five seconds ago before your stupidity occurred,” Yulian muttered around the rim of his coffee mug. After setting it down, he sipped some of his Pepsi. Timotei's stomach churned from the thought of how bad that mixture must taste. Yulian always was an odd one. “I’m so enlightened,” he continued with a sarcastic voice, “So much so that you have no idea.”

And now Timotei was going to have a battle between his son-in-laws. There really was no rest in this family. Always, someone had to push the buttons of the other.

“How is Emilio, vnuk?” Timotei cut in to Joseph before Ivo could start whatever he always thought was necessary.

A smile lit his grandson’s face. If there was one person he constantly worried for, it was Joseph. The boy had more issues than people who were twice his age. Timotei hoped that with his help and influence, the only child of his youngest would be able to overcome the troubles he seemed to constantly face. “Good! He was over yesterday and we had lots of fun.”

“That is good. How is the baby? I’ve yet to meet her; I should get around to it. Children are a beautiful blessing that are always welcome.” Ivo’s face went dark for a second as he knew the barb was aimed at him.

_“Sign it, Vesela,” Timotei said in a steady voice. He was trying not to grow angry at her. His fury derived from someone whose name he couldn’t even bring himself to think of. However, keeping it in control had been very hard this past week._

_Especially as he stared at the bruised face of his beautiful daughter._

_Softly wiping a tear because she didn’t want to aggravate her bruises, Vesela whispered “But I love him, tate. I don’t want to.”_

_Timotei had learned earlier in the week that disregarding her love for the bastard was a bad idea. It only made her furious despite everything that had happened. “My beautiful Vesela, you love him but I do not think he loves you. This that was done to you is far from love.”_

_“He didn’t mean it.”_

_Stamping down his fury, Timotei replied patiently “Vesela-”_

_“He was just upset!”_

_He actually had a barb ready for that but Nikol beat him to it as she stopped pacing behind her sister and sat down beside him on the couch. “Vesela, you told him that you’re pregnant. Not with a stranger’s baby but his. His goddamn baby. He has no right to be angry. Maybe a little hesitant, worried, but he can’t get angry. If he didn’t want kids, he should have kept his fucking dick in his pants.”_

_Her point was very good although Timotei didn’t appreciate the language. He taught his girls better than that. His wife, Albena, would have been ashamed. “He is not worth it. Divorce him and we'll happily raise the baby without him.”_

Despite his and Nikol's words, Vesela obviously didn’t divorce him.

“She’s cute! But she’s very angry,” Joseph answered with a lovely smile.

A laugh escaped his mouth. “Angry? She is but a couple months.”

“I know,” Joseph joined in on the laughter. “But she’s just naturally angry or something. Violent too. She doesn’t even have teeth and she bites.” He fell into a delightful bout of laughter. “She bit tatko’s finger the other day. So hard that he still has the marks.”

“Truly?”

“Yup!” Joseph took his father’s left hand, stretching it across the table, and raised his pointer finger. Ivo simply continued eating as if losing a hand wasn’t a big deal. “See?”

There truly were marks. “My, my, she did get him, didn’t she?” he chuckled.

Nodding with a smile, Joseph returned his father’s hand and went back to his own lunch. “She hasn’t bit me yet. I must be a favorite or something because she’s gotten everyone. Well, everyone except me and Emilio. So I guess that means we’re both her favorites. She’s even bit Mr. Vidal.”

“She has teeth already?” Anka asked curiously while trying to subtly slide her last handful of fries onto her brother’s plate. “I’m surprised.”

“Not yet,” Joseph repeated as he shook his head. “Just her gums but those apparently hurt. Can’t say I wanna find out.”

“Smart,” Ivo snorted. “That child hurts.” He was trying to cut up the last of the huge burger he ordered but his hand was shaking too much from the strain.

“I thought you told me your arm is better,” Timotei inquired. Last week, Ivo’s arm had been wrenched in a negotiation gone bad. He had refused to see a doctor saying that it just needed rest and ice. Fairly typical, actually. That’s what Ivo always claimed. Timotei should have known better because he knew how Ivo was. The amount of shaking he was witnessing very obviously proved his point.

The knife and fork were quickly dropped as Ivo grabbed a slice of bread to make it seem like he had been eating that the whole time. “I’m fine.”

Joseph turned to look at his father in concern. “Were you hurt?”

He could easily read the ‘no’ forming on his son-in-law’s lips. “Yes,” Timotei spoke in first. “He was and told me that his arm was fine. But what I am seeing tells me otherwise. Ivo, health is not a joke. If you need rest, then take it.” It was like repeating a lecture to a child who never listened.

Never.

“You were injured?” Vesela asked with worried eyes. “You didn’t tell me.”

“I’m fine,” her husband emphasized. “Just a small ache. Jesus, people, relax.”

“Cut the burger,” Timotei challenged. “Go ahead.”

Looking a mixture of annoyed and frustrated, Ivo picked up each utensil in a hand and tried to steady his right enough to cut into his lunch. He clenched the knife harder when his hand continued to shake. Grabbing the knife from his hand, Vesela ordered “Stop.”

“I just needed a minute.”

“No,” his youngest snorted, “You didn’t.” She was visibly angry in her movements; the way she jerked his plate over and began cutting his food. Once she was done, Vesela pushed the plate back to him, practically slamming the utensils onto it. “You’re welcome.”

Ivo looked horribly confused. “Um, thank you but…why are you mad? I hadn’t realized I’d done something?” It amazed Timotei how Ivo was so smart and yet at the same time so ridiculously stupid.

“You did nothing, that’s the point.”

“Sooo because I didn’t tell you…you’re pissed.”

She shoved a bite of food in her mouth. “Yes.”

Yulian, deciding that he felt like being a pain this Sunday afternoon, noted “I would’ve told Nikol.”

“He would’ve,” Nikol nodded with a smug face.

All he needed was for Ivo to become annoyed from their words. “Enough,” Timotei reprimanded. “Truly, I’d just once like to enjoy lunch with all of you without any of us trying to bother the other. We are a family and we are lucky we have one another. Not all have a family they can turn to whether from bad relations or from loss. Let us enjoy and be blessed by the fact that we all have each other.”

A shadow crossed Ivo’s face as he was the only one out of them who had none of his relations left. Immediate relations. Timotei knew of the uncle and cousins back in Bulgaria. Not that he personally would ever consider them family after what they had done. “You’re right, tust. My apologies.”

“Thank you,” he said as he turned to look at Yulian expectantly.

Smiling a half smile that Timotei had come to learn meant that he was slightly embarrassed, Yulian said “Mine as well.”

“Thank you.”

“Hey dyádo?” Joseph piped up after munching a mozzarella stick. “Do you have any family left? Besides us obviously.”

“Well, I’ve always considered my friend Nikolai as a brother. Do you remember him? You met him once.”

Joseph shook his head. “Sorry, no.”

“Better that you don’t,” Ivo snorted quietly, a look of disgust on his face. “Hate that prick.”

He was about to reprimand Ivo and his words but Yulian spoke first on probably one of the few things that he and Ivo agreed about. “Piece of complete garbage that guy.” At least Yulian had the decency not to use his filthy mouth in front of children.

“You mean complete piece of shit,” Ivo laughed. “Get the words right, Yulian. Tell us how you really feel. It’s good for the soul.”

“Enough,” Timotei interrupted before Yulian could get a chance to speak. “He at least has the right amount of courtesy within him to know not to speak such language in front of children. Maybe you should take lessons.”

Nikol choked on her drink attempting to hold down her laughter while Yulian smirked and stared down at his plate. Anger flashed in Ivo’s eyes before he stamped it down and tried to take it as a joke. “Sorry, not looking to spend time in school, thank you. I’ve done enough of that.”

“Why?” Yulian smarted. “You didn’t even finish high school. What schooling have you even done?”

There was no stamping down the anger this time as it ignited in Ivo’s body, every muscle tense as he tried to keep his temper in check. Timotei knew that if he didn’t cut in now, words would get very nasty. Both not appropriate around children or for a Sunday.

Being as perceptive as he was, Joseph was also analyzing the situation.

So he tipped his cup over ‘on accident.’

“Oops!” he exclaimed loudly before jumping out of his chair and quickly picking up the cup which had splashed all over the floor. Vesela was on her feet in seconds, rounding the table to get to Joseph and help him clean up. “Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it, sweetheart,” she murmured as she crouched beside him and helped mop up the lemonade. “Those darn accidents, huh?” Her tone was light and playful and Timotei knew that she knew exactly what Joseph had done.

Ivo took a deep breath, calming himself, before tapping Vesela on the shoulder. “Let me. Go sit.”

“It’s fine, we’re done.”

Joseph placed his cup on the table along with the wad of wet napkins. “All done! No worries, tatko. We got it covered. The epic mother-son duo over here.”

“Thee best,” Ivo laughed with a shake of his head. “Utter epicness.”

“Epicness isn’t a word, tetíncho,” Anka chimed in. “You can’t just make up words.”

“No?” Ivo questioned, trying to look serious for Anka’s benefit. He was getting far better at being a father and uncle. Being around children in general, really. Just last week, Timotei and Vesela had caught him coloring with Joseph. If that wasn’t progress, he had no clue what was.

_The house was too quiet. You wouldn’t even know a child lived here from how quiet it was. “Where’s Joseph?” Timotei inquired as he and Vesela sat on the couches. “Usually he is here the second he hears my voice.”_

_Shrugging, Vesela replied “Probably just didn’t hear you. Lost in a book or something.”_

_His grandchild had very good ears. Very very good. No way he hadn’t heard. “Well then, I shall surprise him,” he said as he stood. He remembered that someone else was home too. “Where’s Ivo?”_

_“Upstairs. Said he was gonna shower although…” Vesela trailed, looking confused. “That was like an hour ago and I haven’t heard the water at all.”_

_“Ah, a search is in need then,” Timotei laughed as they went up the stairs and down the hall. He wanted to surprise Joseph – whose door was open – so he made sure his steps were silent as he came to his door, silently peeking his head in. Vesela followed suit, peeking around him._

_They were met with quite the surprise._

_“You know this would look cooler if it was black, right?” Ivo said as he lay on his stomach on the floor beside Joseph, a red colored pencil in hand. Timotei didn’t even know if Ivo had ever colored in his life. Ivo’s childhood was his secret; he didn’t share._

_“Tatko,” Joseph murmured, focused on his own page, “You think everything looks better in black.”_

_Coloring carefully, Ivo replied “Duh, because it’s true. I mean, nothing’s wrong with a red Stingray but seriously, a black one would look even better.”_

_“That Corvette makes me think red, not black.” Switching his orange for black to color the tires, Joseph added “Just like this Mustang makes me think yellow.”_

_Changing to grey and beginning to color the rims, Ivo snorted “Maybe I need to rewire your colorful brain.”_

_“No thanks,” Joseph laughed. He was about to go back to yellow when he caught Timotei and Vesela in the doorway. “Oh hi! You guys wanna color too? I don’t mind ripping out a page each.”_

_“I mind,” Ivo muttered, still entirely engrossed on the Corvette. “I don’t like when books get ugly.”_

_“It’s a coloring book, Ivo,” Vesela laughed as she walked in and sat on the floor next to Joseph._

_“Still a book.”_

“No,” Anka answered with an eyeroll. She was barely seven and yet his granddaughter was brilliant. Smarter than Joseph and that was saying much being that Vesela’s son was as brilliant as his parents. Anka also had a whole load of attitude to go with this brilliance which he knew came from Yulian. Nikol could be nasty but Yulian could be far worse.

Something Anka inherited besides his looks.

“Noted, Professor Anka,” Ivo smiled cheekily. “No making up words.”

Gazing around the table, Timotei took in his family. He had never finished Joseph’s question in telling him that he actually did have more family – four siblings to be exact. But to him, this was family. The people he loved and cared for more than anyone. Give or take when it came to Ivo and sometimes Yulian but still. They were all his. His siblings were back in Bulgaria; he hadn’t spoken to them in years. They blamed him for the death of their parents which was ridiculous. They also never appreciated how he was the favorite.

It wasn’t his fault that he knew the truth.

Resting his gaze on Joseph, Timotei wondered where life would take this one. His power was something many people would kill for, a true gift. Where would it take his grandson, though?

Hopefully, through a wonderful life. And as long as Timotei was around to help Joseph with it, then it would turn out that way. Greywarens were powerful beings and Timotei wanted Joseph to be one of the greatest like his own father.

All that was needed was some guidance. They had years for that.

Many years to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bulgarian Dictionary (If I put anything wrong, please let me know)
> 
> Баща (bashtá) – father, usually called “tatko” or “tate"  
> Майка (máyka) – mother, addressed as “mamo” or “mayko”  
> Син (sin) – son  
> Внук (vnuk) – grandson  
> Дядо (dyádo) – grandfather  
> Баба (bába) – grandmother  
> Прадядо (prádyádo) – great-grandfather   
> Тъст (tust) – the father of a wife  
> Тетка (tétka) – a mother’s sister  
> Тетинчо (tetíncho) – a mother’s sister’s husband  
> Чичо (chícho) - a father's brother (also like 'mister' or 'sir')  
> Стринка (strínka) – a father’s brother’s wife


	20. Evading Execution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yulian almost being sentenced to death after possible treason. From the epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All in Asen's pov because why not?

At first, he just thought it was the typical raised voices. It happened, it was completely normal. They saw a lot of each other and, sometimes, that could be incredibly annoying.

But then he noticed it wasn’t just raised voices. It was shouting.

And only Lord Simeonov shouting.

Lord Simeonov didn’t shout. At least, not around here he didn’t. Like barely ever.

It was incredibly hard not to listen in, to refrain his ears from eavesdropping. But the shouting was getting louder and as Asen listened even closer despite himself, he realized that he heard more than that. Was that a slam against the wall?

_What the hell? Go in or not? Shit, shit, shit._

He could get in trouble for intruding on things he wasn’t invited to. But what if something was going on and he needed to intervene?

Dammit.

When he heard another slam and the advisors who had been coming up the stairs for their meeting also took note, Asen made his choice. Hopefully it wasn’t the wrong one as he quickly opened the door and stuck his head in. “My lords?”

His eyes flew open, wide in surprise.

_Oh shit._

The advisors came into the room after him as he rushed to pull Lord Simeonov off Lord Kavinsky who he had pinned against a wall. Grasping Lord Simeonov's arms, he tugged hard until they were separated. Initially, he resisted but after a few short moments, Lord Simeonov stopped struggling although he was still breathing harshly. Asen wasn’t stupid to let go, however. Just because he stopped fighting back didn’t mean he wouldn’t the minute Asen let go.

“What is the meaning of this?” his father hissed, his face red from anger. He may not fully like Lord Kavinsky but he believed firmly in the laws.

You did not touch the head. You did not disrespect the head. You did not back talk the head. You did not disagree with the head.

That last one, depending on the head, was flexible. Ivo was surprisingly pretty flexible much like Lord Dobrev had been. He took into account the opinions of the people around him.

Lord Simeonov stayed silent but his fury was obvious in how tense he was. His father stepped closer, grabbing Lord Simeonov's chin to forcefully make him look at him. “Answer me.”

When it seemed that he wouldn’t answer, Asen decided to take the obvious step. Looking to Lord Kavinsky who was now sporting a broken nose and lots of blood and bruises, he asked “You are okay, my lord?”

“He’s fucking fine,” Lord Simeonov snarled, deciding to break his silence for this, yanking his head from the firm hand holding it. “Too bad. I wish I had longer to make him actually a mess. Put him in the GOD FUCKING FLOOR WHERE HE DESERVES!” The momentum in him was reignited as he struggled in Asen’s arms, trying to break free. “YOU STUPID FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT! I CAN’T WAIT UNTIL YOU BURN IN HELL!”

Whatever had occurred had to be serious. Lord Simeonov knew how dangerous words like those were around here. They were seditious and disrespectful and put him in a very perilous position. Not that he wasn’t in one already, what with him beating their lord.

Lord Kavinsky simply stood against the wall, head resting on it as he gazed at Lord Simeonov. There wasn’t a single emotion showing on his face but Asen was sure he saw hurt reflecting in his lord’s eyes. It could be from the obvious beating he had just taken but Asen didn’t think it was only that.

_Wait…he took the beating. Why?_

None of this made any sense and Asen’s hands were starting to cramp. But setting Lord Simeonov loose seemed like a terrible idea. “Lord Simeonov,” Asen began in a steady voice, hoping to diffuse some of the tension in both his hands and the room. “If I let go, will you restrain yourself?”

Silence met his question but eventually he said through gritted teeth “Yes.”

“Okay,” Asen replied quietly, releasing him but ready to grab him back should he need to. The good thing was that it wasn’t necessary as Lord Simeonov simply straightened and rubbed where Asen’s hands had held him tight. “Now-”

“He’ll be convicted of treasonous acts,” Stamen interrupted in his unwavering firm voice. He wasn’t an advisor during the time of Lord Dobrev but had had a high position. When Samuil had been ousted due to sedition, he had taken his place.

The very last thing Asen wanted was for Lord Simeonov being tried for treason. Deep down, he knew, just knew, that whatever had caused this was personal. It wouldn’t be fair if it was tried as political. “My lo-”

“There is no excuse for this! This blatant disregard, disrespect, and abuse!” Stamen gestured harshly towards Lord Kavinsky, “Look at him! His entire face is broken and who knows what else has been done. Lord Simeonov will be tried and very easily convicted. The sentence will be death. He knows this and knew it the minute he laid hands on our lord.”

“Enough,” his father cut in. “You are rushing things forward far too quickly.”

“There is no ‘quickly’ about this!” Stamen pointed at Lord Kavinsky once more, “Look at the abuse that has been done! The crime that has been committed!”

Asen knew that his father happened to kind of like Lord Simeonov which was part of the reason he didn’t want this to be done so rashly. There was also that they all knew that no one was more loyal to their lord like Lord Simeonov. For him to do this?

Turning to the accused, his father asked patiently “Please, Yulian, tell me that there is some way of explaining such treason. You are the very last person that I ever would expect this from.”

Eyes still blazing and fists clenched, Lord Simeonov took a deep breath so he could reply in a steady voice “There’s a very good reason, however, it’s both personal and private. Probably should have waited until we were at one of the other’s house. But I couldn’t keep my temper after hearing all the shit from his mouth.”

“Oh I truly hope you can explain better than that,” John – another advisor – snorted, his huge nose that Asen may or may not make fun of in private scrunching up. “That is very flimsy reasoning. Pathetic even.”

His father looked horribly conflicted and Asen didn’t envy his position of highest advisor right now. The pressure of whether or not to try Lord Simeonov was on him unless Lord Kavinsky said otherwise. But not a sound was coming out of their head’s mouth. He just kept flicking his gaze around the room, looking at everyone, the blood still a mess on his face. Lord Kavinsky didn’t even try wiping it.

Which lead Asen back to square one. Why accept the blows? It wasn’t like Lord Kavinsky couldn’t fight. For that matter, Lord Simeonov was a cripple. No matter how good of a fighter he was, he was at a disadvantage in facing his lord.

Like his father, Asen didn’t want to see Lord Simeonov executed. Especially not after he had had the opportunity to get to know his family when Damyan had come around. He might be over stepping bounds but he wasn’t going to just let a good man die because of his temper. “Yulian-”

“Watch how you speak,” Stamen hissed. “He may yet be a traitor but you refer to him by his title.”

The funny thing about that was that it was _Asen_ who always reminded people of that. He held high respect for the two lords before him but right now, he was trying to speak as a friend. And anyways, even though Asen didn’t have the position of ‘advisor’ like these men, he knew that in Lord Kavinsky’s eyes, he was higher up than all of them. When it came to positions, it was obviously Lord Kavinsky, then Lord Simeonov despite having no title for whatever reason, and then Asen. After Asen came his father and the following advisors in their positions.

So technically, Asen got away with much more than they did. Sadly, the only one who actually understood how high he was was his father and the two lords before him.

Sadly.

Clearing his throat and flashing an annoyed glance towards Stamen, Asen tried once more. “Yulian, I know you understand how much of a bad position you’ve put both yourself and us in. We’re going to need more than that.”

“There is no more!” John exclaimed in frustration, his own fist clenched. “He’ll be tried and that is-”

“Enough.”

_Finally._

Lord Kavinsky grabbed a tissue from the box as he bounced off the wall, wiping his nose gingerly. _That’s gotta hurt…_ “No one is being tried.”

A look of exasperation crossed Stamen’s face as he tried not to roll his eyes. “My lord, I know he is your broth-”

“No. One. Is. Being. Tried.”

“But my lord! I mean no disrespect but you are a mess!”

Snorting and then cringing because it must have hurt, Lord Kavinsky threw his tissue in the trash before spitting a glob of blood into it. When he looked back at them, Asen was literally confused by how quickly a weird smile plastered onto his face. “It’s just some fun!” Lord Kavinsky laughed. “Lord Simeonov needed to get some stuff of his chest. You all need to get over your fat asses, you know.”

Grinding his jaw but keeping his tone respectful, John replied “My lord, your face is broken. I imagine there are quite a few bruises under your clothing and you are telling me that it was just a bit of fun? My apologies for not believing such foolish words.” Asen knew that he and the other advisors had to be offended by being called ‘fat asses’ but they kept their mouths closed.

Lord Kavinsky bared a glance down his clothed torso while nodding. “Yeah, bastard has a fucking iron fist.”

Sparing a quick glance in Lord Simeonov’s direction because he really needed to see his face, Asen was shocked when he found that there was even more black anger written there. He could at least act like he was grateful to be spared. But instead he hissed “Not iron enough, apparently. I’d feel a bit more accomplished if I had at least beaten you unconscious.”

“My lord,” Asen said quickly, trying to cut off whatever other words were planned. Words like that would not help the man. If he showed that he planned further harm, the advisors might decide that he is an ongoing threat that had to be removed.

But Lord Kavinsky simply laughed. “Oh dear Yulian, you should have slammed my face into the table a couple more times if you wanted that much of an accomplishment.”

Despite himself, Asen couldn’t help but turn and look at the large table, trying to catch bloodstains where Lord Kavinsky usually sat. He blushed when his father gave him a disapproving glare. It wasn’t his fault he wanted to see the proof.

Inhaling and letting that tired breath out, his father finally said “As you wish, my lord. Lord Simeonov will not be tried. However, I will suggest that Lord Simeonov goes home so we can diffuse some of this horrid tension. Perhaps we all require some fresh air?”

Sticking his hands in his pockets, Lord Kavinsky shrugged like he couldn’t care less. “Go for it. Enjoy the ‘fresh air.’”

“My lord,” Asen began carefully, “Should I perhaps call-”

“No. I can clean myself up.”

“Of course,” he nodded quickly as they all watched their head walk out.

Lord Simeonov was still boiling with fury, ready to explode should anyone push too hard. The minute Lord Kavinsky was out the door, he mock spit on the floor in disgust. “Fucking piece of shit.”

“I wouldn’t push your luck, Lord Simeonov,” Stamen responded harshly. “You are incredibly lucky today. Do remember that.”

The revulsion grew on his face as he looked over at the older man. “There are a lot of things that’ll I’ll remember about today; a lot things I will regret. But remember this. Beating him, making him bleed, will never be something I regret. I just wish I had a chance to make him even worse. It would’ve been no less than he deserved.”

Silence answered that as the blonde walked out after grabbing his cane, anger in every single movement. What was between the two men had to be very personal but Asen couldn’t bring himself from not wanting to know. He wasn’t exactly their friend but he had always kind of wanted to be. Friends helped out other friends.

Which was why he decided to follow Lord Simeonov despite the slight shake of his father’s head.

“Yulian!” he called as he rushed behind him into the parking garage. The man may be a cripple but he could be fast. When he reached him, he took a few breaths to let his lungs catch up before he asked “What the hell?”

Unlocking his car, Yulian opened the door and threw his cane in, his jaw grinding back and forth like he was trying to decide if he should say anything. Huffing in frustration, he slammed the door shut and leaned on his car while glaring at Asen. “Let me ask you something.”

“Okay,” he shrugged in confusion. He knew he was treading on territory that wasn’t his but he couldn’t help it. That was what typical had gotten him in trouble as a child. It actually got his eldest daughter into a lot of trouble.

“You like Joseph, don’t you?”

The question caught him by surprise. What the hell was this? Of course he liked Joseph. He liked him a lot actually. Hell, Asen even respected the kid. Instead of seeing him as a child like Asen’s own kids because there was only a couple years between Joseph and his oldest, he saw him as, well, a friend. The boy was brilliant, mature, and down-right amusing.

Asen liked him a shit ton.

“Yeah, I do. Why?”

Yulian looked like he was wondering how much he was going to regret telling him anything. But he continued regardless. “I happen to like my nephew a lot too. Love him like he’s one of my own children. Now, how would you react if you found out someone had hurt him?”

When he had awakened in the hospital after being attacked by Damyan, Asen had literally almost had a panic attack because he had no clue what had happened to Joseph. It hadn’t even been about his job then, it was that he wouldn’t have been able to handle knowing someone had hurt him. _He isn’t implying that…no way…_

Going about this carefully would be for the best.

“Well, I imagine that if there was a table around, I’d slam someone’s face into it.”

Yeah, that was totally subtle.

But Yulian simply rolled his eyes. “Your son is still young but let’s say that one day he came to you and said that he liked boys. How would you react?”

Now he had all the clues. Fuck subtlety. “Better than I imagine Lord Kavinsky did.”

“I don’t know what pedestal you put Ivo on, but he’s not a good person. I’ve always known that, gotten over it because that’s just the way he is. But when it goes to the extent of him beating my nephew because he somehow found out that he likes boys, that’s where I stop getting over it. That’s when I decide that keeping my mouth shut is enough.”

Asen had never put Lord Kavinsky on a pedestal. He respected him, sure, because he was an absolutely brilliant man along with being extremely generous. But Asen wasn’t an idiot; he’d seen enough evidence in mob dealings to know that his lord enjoyed some things way too much. To know that he wasn’t actually a good person. Nobody in the mob business was a good person but there were mobsters and then there were Mobsters.

Lord Kavinsky was a Mobster. Capital ‘m’ all the way.

But Asen never imagined that his terrible tendencies extended to his family. To the son who Asen was able to tell that his lord loved very much.

All because Joseph loved boys.

Gay or bi or anything other, it didn’t matter. Lord Kavinsky wouldn’t have tolerated any of that.

Hooking his thumbs in the pockets of his slacks, Asen asked quietly “How is Joseph?”

Crossing his arms and looking down, Yulian laughed with a shake of his head. “I don’t know. And I won’t know either. Vesela took him and left this morning.”

“I’m sorry.” Things would probably only get worse then. He knew Lady Vesela was an anchor for his lord. Not having her around would drive the man mad.

Sighing, Yulian shook his head once more before he raised it and straightened himself, uncrossing his arms. “You tell anyone anything of what I just told you-”

“I won’t” Asen interrupted. “You know I won’t.”

“I may have been able to walk out of that room today but it doesn’t mean I will be able to again.”

Asen knew exactly what Yulian was saying. If Lord Kavinsky were to find out that he had shared something so personal?

He wouldn’t let him walk away from death again.


	21. Batter Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joseph + baseball team at the batting cages. Also Ivo's first time being a chaperone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the fantastical Goldfish who requested Joseph and peeps at the batting cages
> 
> I wasn't sure which peeps you were implying so I just went with the baseball team to change it up a bit. Also this was supposed to be a fluffy sort of story and ended up more hurt/comfort between Joseph and Ivo. Probs because unless Snapshots are requested, I won't be writing happy Joseph/Ivo anytime soon. Pretty much any Ivo actually.
> 
> Enjoy! Also, this got super long so I hope you like!
> 
> Timelinish: 2008 Aprilish  
> Maybs after like chpt 118 (Bronx Zoo stuff if you don't remember)

“Gentlemen!” Coach Rodriguez shouted although there was really no need. Everyone could hear her just fine. “Welcome to the batting cages!”

“Why’s she yelling,” Micah whispered to Joseph. “She knows that we’re right here, right?”

A small smile peaked on his face. “You know her, full drama.”

“Kavinsky!”

He jumped in surprise, “Coach?”

“Ima drama you right now if you don’t keep it to yourself!” The threat was obviously unfounded as the woman had a huge smile on her face. “Don’t make me send you and Micah on warm up laps before batting!”

“It was all him, coach,” Micah laughed in reply. “I swear. He even tried bribing me. Couldn’t meet my price though.”

“Kavinsky! I’m the only one around here who gets to bribe! Noted?”

Giving her a proper soldier’s salute, Joseph answered “Noted.”

Coach Rodriguez continued her speech after an eyeroll accompanying her smile. She had brought them to the batting cages today, deciding that maybe they should try their skills against an automated pitcher. Because it was out of the school, it technically had to be filed as a field trip so permission slips were sent out. Unlike a lot of the other boys on the team, Joseph had not been happy. Batting was not his forte and being tested against a machine pitcher was not cool in his book.

His mother said it was good for him. His father had told him not to be a whiner.

And because it was a field trip, Coach had asked for chaperones.

For the first time ever, his father was a school chaperone. Keeping the baseball freak away from the batting cages was like trying to keep a moth away from a flame.

Impossible.

So the baseball team not only had Coach and two other parents but they even had Lord Kavinsky, the big baddie of Hoboken. No one knew that though, although, Joseph swore that Micah’s dad kept giving his father a funky look.

It had to be nothing.

“Questions?” Coach called after Joseph had only listened to her speech with only half an ear. Joseph knew that from the very non-good humored eyeroll she did that his father must have raised his hand behind them.

Turning to look, Joseph’s theory was confirmed as his father lounged on the metal bleachers a little ways away from the other parents with his hand raised and a smirk on his face. He was so odd next to Connor’s mom in a colorful sundress and Micah’s dad in a bright red t-shirt and blue jeans. Typical of his father, he was in a black V-neck t-shirt, his favorite pair of slim black jeans, black canvas slip-ons, and a black Yankees fitted cap. Even the logo was in black.

The man should have been a total goth in his youth. Sheesh. For God’s sake, even the wristband of his sports watch was black. The only color on him was the silver of his wedding band. Joseph knew for a fact that the man was even wearing black underwear. While Joseph loved black, he didn’t see the need to be so damn extra.

“That was meant for the kids, not parents, older Kavinsky,” Coach said in exasperation as she flicked her hand at him. “What.”

“When do I get a turn?” his father asked with a laugh. He probably hadn’t even had a question and just wanted to be annoying. His coach and his father didn’t exactly get along ranging all the way back from when his mother and his coach were in high school. Recognizing that people actually knew his father at eighteen who wasn’t dead or part of a mob was just weird.

Joseph laughed along with the other boys on the team as Coach sighed and shook her head. “Tell me you didn’t sign up to be a chaperone just to play.”

“Nah, just to bug you,” his father snorted in amusement. “It’s so much fun.”

A huge smile suddenly came on her face and it made Joseph nervous. “Tell you what, Papa Kavinsky. For every two balls little Kavinsky hits farther than five feet, you get a swing. Deal?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Joseph interrupted despite not knowing if he was supposed to be allowed in this conversation. He should because this was not cool by his standards. “No de-”

“Deal,” his father interrupted with a huge smile and wink to Joseph.

“Tatko!”

“It’s good for you. I wanna swing at least…nine times because I’m thirty-nine. Good number, no?”

Slapping a hand on his face and groaning in despair as Micah laughed beside him, Joseph replied “No, not good number. So arbitrary and-”

“Whoa, big word usage.”

“ _And_ ,” Joseph emphasized, ignoring the interruption, “that means I have to hit at least eighteen, not counting the ones that don’t pass five feet. And that’s probably within an hour if I combine my time out of the rotations. Don’t know if you noticed, but-”

“Batting isn’t your forte. Yeah,” his father nodded in all surety. “Trust me, I’ve noticed. That’s why we’re doing this. No pressure, right?”

There was no way he could stop the Kavinsky eyeroll from happening. “No pressure,” he grumbled as he turned back around to face his smiling coach. “Your fault.”

“No pressure, kiddo! Kick some ass! I agree, it’s good for practice!”

Crossing his arms, Joseph muttered under his breath “Good for you. Yeah so good.”

Micah nudged him with his shoulder slightly as Coach went on rambling the way she did. “I can make a deal like that with my dad if you want. Let’s admit it, me and you aren’t exactly the best batters on the team. We’re made for other stuff.”

It was true. Joseph was _the_ pitcher and Micah was one hell of a shortstop. That was where their talents lay which wasn’t a problem.

Unless they were batting.

“Sounds like a plan,” Joseph couldn’t help but smile. Micah was what Joseph called ‘school friends.’ You talked to them here but you didn’t go out of your way to make it anything better. It wasn’t even close to what he and Emilio had. Even what he and Emilio’s sisters had.

But it was nice regardless.

Raising his hand, Micah said once Coach Rodriguez pointed to him “Can I make a deal with my dad too?” He turned to look at his own father in the bleachers. “Dad? Same deal?”

“Why not?” Mr. Molina replied with a broad cheery smile. Joseph liked the guy’s smile. “Let’s go for it. I’m forty-one but we can stick with nine for two.” Looking to Joseph’s father, he said in his booming voice “I think I’d like to beat you at something.”

The confusion Joseph was feeling was reflected in the one brow his father rose in response. Micah’s dad made it sound like they knew each other or something. However, his father never forgot someone once he’s met them. He was great with faces and yet couldn’t seem to place Mr. Molina. “I guess we’ll just have to see. I’m stiff competition, I must brag.”

“What’s your dad work?” Joseph asked Micah curiously as Coach started assigning the line up.

“Both my parents are beat cops. Cool, huh?” Micah said with a grin as they walked over to the bench to wait their turns. “That’s actually how they met. In the police academy.”

“That’s really cool,” he nodded because it was. How was it that Joseph gravitated to people with law enforcement parents? He apparently had a type or something. If Micah’s parents were uniformed cops then they probably knew the name Kavinsky.

Wonderful.

They sat and chatted as they waited for their turns. Joseph, sadly, was up before his friend. Walking to the cage and standing at the marked spot, he took a deep breath and got into the stance that seemed to work best for him. With another breath, he nodded to Coach to let her know he was ready.

Turns out that was such a lie as the ball flew past him. He was so not ready for that as he completely missed. Someone on the bench behind him laughed and Joseph would bet that it was Connor. They didn’t quite get along. After missing the next two and getting declared ‘out’ even though it wasn’t a game, Joseph trudged in shame to the bench.

“You’re just warming up!” Coach called after him. “Don’t worry about it!”

“He needs the whole session to warm up,” Connor snickered to Victor beside him who literally bellowed. Joseph really felt like punching the idiots right now.

Micah was up next and was able to hit one making Joseph feel even worse. When his next time to bat came up and all he did was barely tip a ball before getting out, he felt like the biggest loser and disappointment in the world. He made sure to sit on the very edge of the bench away from everyone – even Micah – so he wouldn’t have to feel their leers or hear their words.

God did he suck.

What kind of baseball player was he? Sure he could pitch but no one wanted someone who could only do one thing. Specialization was good and all but you had to at least have basic skills all around.

Joseph did not have such basics.

Sighing and staring down at the floor as he shuffled his foot on it, Joseph was surprised when his father was suddenly beside him. “I totally suck. Don’t think you’re hitting today. Sorry.”

Getting off the bench and crouching in front of Joseph, his father replied in Bulgarian “What’s that cheesy ass saying?”

“Chin up,” Joseph mumbled, switching languages. He didn’t want anyone to understand his depressing feelings and words.

“Yeah…it’s terrible. But,” his father began, lifting Joseph’s chin up to look at him. “It has a good point. So you haven’t hit yet. Big deal. You-”

“But it is a big deal,” he cut in with words full of misery. “I look like a complete idiot. They all laugh at me. Just because I get laughed at in school for just existing doesn’t mean I wanted it to happen here too.” Pushing his father’s hand away, Joseph went back to staring down. Meeting those examining eyes was always difficult. “For once, I don’t want everyone to think I’m some complete loser. Baseball was supposed to change that. It’d be nice to be cool just one time.”

His father crossed his arms on Joseph’s legs and rested his chin on them, looking into his face. “Joseph, there’s nothing wrong with you. And I think you’re cool, which, I know what you’re going to say. ‘Oh, you’re my dad, you’re supposed to say that.’ But it’s the truth. You can even go ask Emilio because we all know what his answer will be. Or Alicia. Or Ivet. Or literally anyone who actually knows you.”

“They’re my friends, they have to say that.”

“No they don’t. But it’s what they believe because it’s true. None of these idiots here have shit on you. I’d like to see which one of them had a sixteen-year-old girlfriend. You shoulda bragged about that while you had a chance by the way.”

That earned his father a small laugh. “That would’ve been pretty shallow of me.”

Smiling and shrugging, his father snorted “Well, yeah, but I brag about mayko _all the time_. Is it shallow of me to brag about the woman I’m with? Maybe, but hey, ain’t stopping me. Look, you don’t hit anything today, don’t worry about it. We’ll practice more. If I wanted to hit that bad, I could buy this entire fucking place.” Another laugh slipped from Joseph. “My point is-”

“Stop worrying about everyone and focus on myself. I know, it’s just…” The sound of Connor laughing at whatever cut through. “It’s just hard when they’re all watching.”

His father stood shakily – his knee probably extremely painfully stiff – and kissed Joseph on his temple. “Fuck them. You worry about you. You hit, you hit. You don’t, you don’t. It’s okay either way, alright?”

Nodding and feeling a little better from the pep talk, Joseph mumbled “Okay.”

Knocking his fist on Joseph’s head, his father added “Hey, either way, it’s okay, brat. And either way, we still get Italian ice on the way home. I have a craving that needs satisfying.”

Laughing and looking up at his father who was smiling, he said “Only thing they’re good for, right?”

“Exactly!” his father exclaimed. “Someone gets it! Now, you’re up in two turns. You?”

“Do me. And it’s okay either way,” Joseph answered, taking a deep breath while nodding. “Got it.”

When his next turn was up, Joseph tried to relax his furiously beating heart. He could do this and if he couldn’t, well, he got Italian ice either way.

But he could do this.

“Five bucks says Kavinsky ain’t gonna hit nothin’!” Connor called in a loud voice, accompanied with disgusting snorts of laughter. “Three strikes already! Don’t bother going up, loser!”

A couple other boys laughed and Joseph was sure the parents heard. Coach was over by the machine and couldn’t or else he knew she would shut the idiot up by making him do laps. All his words did was make him more nervous.

“Hold up!” came his father’s voice from behind him.

Joseph waved to Coach to let her know to wait as he turned in the cage to see what was up. Coach Rodriguez came jogging over, halting beside Joseph. “What’s up, kid?”

He pointed over to his father looking pissed in the bleachers. Joseph wasn’t sure if it was better or worse for his father to speak up for him. Sometimes bullies just saw it as another reason to make fun of you.

“Older Kavinsky, this better be legit.”

“It’s fucking legit,” his father said in a stiff angry tone. “Th-”

“Please don’t use the language around the boys, Mr. Kavinsky,” Connor’s mom cut in. “It’s inappropriate.”

“Oh please,” his father snorted in annoyance. “Guarantee your bully kid over there speaks a lot of shit when he’s not in front of you.” Ignoring her protests and focusing back on the coach, he pointed at Connor. “If this happens and you know of it, I will seriously get your ass fired.”

_Why does this man have to be so dramatic…_

“Alright, alright,” Coach replied, totally unfazed. She handled rowdy boys because she loved baseball, she could handle an angry parent. Or, at least, Joseph felt like she could. “Let’s slow down. What is it we’re talking about?”

“The bullying. I don’t stand for that shit. Anyways, how the hell are you guys supposed to be a team when you antagonize others?”

Joseph’s gaze flicked to Victor as he whispered to Connor “Maybe complainer over there needs to learn to speak English before crying.”

“Will you shut up?” Joseph snarled in irritation for his father. Judging someone who spoke with an accent was the stupidest thing he had ever heard. How come if it was British or Australian it was so cool but anything else you sounded stupid? People with accents spoke another language meaning they were smarter than other people anyways.

“Hey, hey,” Coach said as she rested a hand on Joseph’s shoulder. “Lemme deal with it, bud. Connor and Victor, three laps of the perimeter and then you get to apologize to Joseph’s father for insulting him. Then you get to run two more and apologize to Joseph.”

Both boys looked shocked along with Connor’s mom looking furious. “Coach!”

“Get moving or I’m benching you two.” They took off running in seconds. Coach Rodriguez brought her attention back to Joseph’s father. “I’ve never seen anything because if I had, trust me, they’d be suspended from playing or kicked off if it got extreme. I’m sorry that it wasn’t brought to my attention before.”

His eyes still screamed bloody murder but his father nodded. “Thank you. Now I believe Joseph was up.”

Patting him on the shoulder Coach said “They bother you, you gotta tell me, kid. I’m no mind reader. Got it?”

“Yeah, coach. Thanks.”

“Alright. Now, you’re gonna get yourself some hits, right?”

Despite his crappy record, Joseph nodded in surety. “Not going home without one.”

Out of six balls, Joseph had managed four. Only three were past five feet but hey, Joseph wasn’t complaining. Neither was his father who had whooped in delight every time Joseph had hit. He wasn’t going to get his nine hits because Joseph only had three balls left but his father didn’t seem to care.

The support was fantastic.

Also the apology. Personally, he didn’t think they meant it but whatever. They had to humble themselves to him and that was a win to Joseph.

“Don’t listen to those idiots,” Micah said as he sat down after his turn. His friend was doing better than him with having hit seven so far.

“Kinda hard not to,” Joseph admitted. “They just know how to dig themselves in.”

“Typical bullies, dude. They can go take a hike.”

Snorting in amusement, he replied “That’s the nice way of saying. How about they can go fuck themselves?”

“You said it, not me,” Micah laughed. “Not that I totally don’t agree. They’re so annoying.”

 

* * *

 

Ivo spared a quick glance to that Micah kid’s dad as he took a seat beside him on the bleacher before turning back and watching whoever this next kid was bat. Joseph’s last try was after this one and Ivo had a good feeling about it. His brat just needed to get into his groove was all. Ivo would need to find more time from work so they could practice together. He hated seeing the disappointment on Joseph’s face.

“Seen your kid throw. Hellava pitcher, that one.”

Socializing was not something he enjoyed. But his kid was kind of friends with this guy’s kid so… “Thank you. I like to say he takes after me but my wife vehemently disagrees by flaunting her softball trophies.”

Micah’s father let out this hearty laugh that, for some reason, made him think of Timotei. Damn, did he miss that bastard. “Me and my ex-wife do that with Micah’s musical talent. He plays trumpet like the both of us did.”

 _Truly fascinating…_ “Met in high school band?” Ivo asked although he didn’t even give a fuck. The kid was still up and he was dying to see Joseph do well.

“Surprisingly, no. Police academy.”

His heart did a little jump because that might explain why the guy seemed to talk to him like he knew him. But Ivo made sure his face revealed nothing. “Police officers?”

“Beat cops, yeah. We enjoy walking the beat more than having to be detectives which is why we never tried to move up.”

Simply humming because he was more focused on watching Joseph go up, Ivo bit his lip as he watched nervously. _Please let him hit. I don’t like a depressed brat._

“You know what I find funny? The fact that criminals are always more nervous around uniforms than detectives. Why’s that?”

Ivo’s response was automatic because he was so zoned in on Joseph prepping himself for his first ball. “Beat cops know who belongs on the streets and who doesn’t. They know when something is up just from looking and form relationships with the people they take care of. Detectives sit behind a desk and don’t know the people they protect. Pop up only when needed. People trust them less because they don’t know ‘em.” He watched as Joseph swung and hit a beautiful one. “Fuck yes!”

“Those personal beliefs? From experience, maybe?”

 _Nice slip, idiot._ But his focus was on his kid right now. Mr. Uniform here would have to wait. “Please hold.”

“What?”

“Yes!” Ivo exclaimed while raising a fist to the sky as Joseph hit another and then the last one. “Woo Joseph! Kicked ass, brat!”

When his son was done, he turned with this huge smile that Ivo loved before going back to the bench to watch Micah go up. Waiting until the cop beside him got to watch his own son, Ivo decided that they were stopping somewhere and Joseph could buy something. He liked a smile on his kid’s face.

“Now,” Ivo said as he turned back to the man beside him. “You were saying?”

“You know what I was saying,” Micah’s father answered with a steady unwavering gaze.

Rolling his eyes, Ivo snorted “Congratulations, you know who I am. What’s your point?”

“You a danger to my son?”

Wow. “You’ve gotta be kidding me. Do I look like a fucking danger to your son?”

Micah’s father gave him a quick once-over before replying “I honestly don’t know what to make of you. I’ve heard a lot of horrible things attached to your name and yet here you are playing chaperone for your boy and being all supportive. You look normal and act far too childish and yet we both know that a lot of those things said about you aren’t rumors.”

He couldn’t help but wonder what sort of rumors were attached to his name. Maybe he’d ask Raul. “In any of these hypothetical rumors of yours, have I harmed a child or anyone who didn’t deserve what they got? Innocents?”

The answer came quick because he knew the truth. “No.”

“Then don’t insinuate stupid ignorance.”

The other man nodded before turning back to the cages. The last kid had gone during their chat and now the coach was giving a rundown of how well everyone did.

“And…Kavinsky. You finished with seven which is a very good job, kid. Stance is getting better. We just work a bit more on your timing and you’ve got the makings.” Looking to Ivo, she added “You get three swings, Papa. No more.”

“Three’s all I need, Elaine,” Ivo replied in the voice he could tell she didn’t like. It was too superficial, too sweet. “I’ll hit every one of them.”

“Can I pitch one?” Joseph asked as he turned around on the bench. “Two machine, one me?”

“Sure,” he shrugged. “Think you can get a strike on me?”

“Pft, easy peasy.”

Shaking his head as he got up to take his turn, Ivo rolled his eyes. “Cocky little brat.” He slipped off his hat and put on Joseph before grabbing a batter’s helmet and putting it on. “Let’s do this.”

After getting into the cage and doing a few practice swings while thinking doing this in jeans was kind of uncomfortable, Ivo was ready. Elaine sent off the first ball and he was sure that she upped the speed to something insane.

But he wasn’t worried.

Because he slammed that piece of shit out. Of. The. Fucking. Park.

Okay, so it wasn’t a park but same concept.

“Woo, tatko!” Joseph laughed his own encouragement. “You better make these before you face me and cry from missing.”

Joseph was a good pitcher sure but Ivo didn’t actually believe he’d miss a pitch from a thirteen year old. No way.

He made the next one without any struggle, sending it off far with Elaine making an impressed face even though she probably didn’t want to. When it came time for Joseph’s pitch, Ivo was easily ready. “Try me.”

Smiling all smug like, Ivo was actually starting to wonder if his kid was actually going to be able to pull a strike on him. He wouldn’t be this confident if he didn’t think he could. “You’re gonna need a large Italian ice after this to make yourself feel better.”

“Puh-lease,” Ivo snorted, getting into position. “Go for it.”

Joseph pitched.

Ivo swung.

And missed to his sadness and Joseph’s delight.

_What the fuck._

Straightening and staring at his kid in a mix of pride and shock, Ivo couldn’t help but laugh at himself. “Holy shit. Did not even see that coming. Nicely done, brat, nicely done.”

With that stupid smug look still on his face, Joseph took a bow to the cheer of his team. “Why thank you. I aim to impress.”


	22. Have a Depressing Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emilio's first Christmas without Joseph since they met. Moving on is a lot harder than it sounds

It was a depressing holiday.

Very very depressing.

But really, no one should’ve expected anything else. Why would they just assume that Emilio would be able to handle Christmas – his first without Joseph – like it was nothing? Like everything was completely okay?

Nothing would ever be okay. Why did no one ever understand that?

“Come in,” he mumbled into his pillow in answer to a knock at his door. Whoever it was had to have been listening closely because they surprisingly heard the tiny murmur as they opened the door. He wasn’t at all surprised when it turned out to be his father, taking a seat on the bed once he walked over.

“Hola, mijo.”

“Hola,” he whispered back.

“You know,” his father began, “As the only son, it’s your job to help me with all the stuff I get stuck with. Like dragging out the tree for example.”

Because the apartment was so small, they had always made it a habit to take out the Christmas tree right after Christmas. They didn’t have space to just let it sit there because they were lazy. Emilio found it funny how even though they had moved to a new apartment, it was still small. It was nicer and in a better neighborhood too. The place even had one less flight of stairs. However, there was still no elevator. But dragging groceries up two flights of stairs was better than three.

“You think he had a nice Christmas?” Emilio asked quietly as he stayed face down on his bed. His face was suffocating in his pillow but he didn’t have the will to even twist his head to the side.

A heavy sigh came through the silence. “Mijo, this needs to stop.”

Emilio had heard the upcoming speech a million times before. From everyone too, although his parents were much nicer about it than his sisters. Linda was the toughest out of them and while Emilio knew she meant well, he didn’t appreciate her efforts. Sometimes, he’d burst into tears from her words. They weren’t mean but they were honest and blunt. That was close enough.

His grandmother all the way in Connecticut still called every few days just to speak to him. She’d start with a joke of how it was his job to call but then she’d listen to him cry his heart out without a word. His parents would let him too but sometimes it would end with them trying to get him to move on. And he understood, he really did, but no one had ever claimed that love was rational.

“In a few months, it’ll be a year. You can’t keep putting yourself down for him. I know you love him and I know he was important and means so much…but for fuck’s sake, Emilio, he’s gone. Move on. You-”

That managed to give him the will to turn his head as he interrupted fiercely “Don’t tell me to forget. Don’t you dare.”

The man beside him had been simply exasperated before but now annoyance flashed across his face. “If you bothered to listen, that’s not what I was saying. I said to move on. There’s a big difference. I would never tell you to forget. In fact, I’d be pissed if you thought forgetting was a brilliant idea. Joseph has enough fucking hell in his life, not for one of the people he loved most to forget him.”

“Bet his Christmas sucked,” Emilio mumbled, all his thunder now gone. It was so much easier to just wallow in his sadness than to bother which much of anything.

Another sigh came except this time it didn’t have as much weight or vigor to it. “I imagine it was hard for both him and Vesela.”

Emilio had always like Mrs. Kavinsky. Well, most of the time he did. There were certain qualities of hers that he didn’t care for. Like letting her child be abused and doing nothing about it. But nonetheless, he felt bad for her. She had picked up her life, minus everyone and everything besides Joseph, and had moved on. Emilio imagined that to be a lot more difficult than he could even begin to guess.

She deserved some credit for that.

“Yeah…” Emilio trailed. “Do you even think they celebrated?”

“I think Vesela probably tried to give him the biggest best Christmas ever.”

Probably. Mrs. Kavinsky had most likely wanted to show Joseph that they were fine on their own. That they could still have a wonderful beautiful Christmas even if they were away from everyone. Emilio hoped that she had been able to accomplish her mission. They needed some positivity in their lives. He doubted that they were actually happy how life was now.

Or maybe he was just selfish and refused to believe that they could be happy without him around.

“She would have,” he finally sighed, sitting up and knowing that his hair was standing up from the look his father gave it. It was due for a cut but Emilio had no will for anything. He rubbed his forehead, the pillow wallowing having caused it to hurt. That sort of made no sense but not much did anymore anyways.

“I miss him, papi. And yeah, I know I’ve said and exhibited that for months but…” He let out another sigh. “But…” If it was possible to throw up from suffering, Emilio was sure he could manage it. “Do you think he thinks about me?”

The sadness in his father’s face was hard to look at. “Do I think he thinks about you, yes.”

“But?”

Rubbing his face and seeming like he wished he didn’t have to answer, his father breathed out heavily. “Emilio, mijo…”

“Just say it.” He already knew that he wasn’t going to like the words. It was okay though, Emilio was currently in his own little pity party which needed a boost. Bring on the music.

“But…” The man let out another sigh. His father was probably running out of sighs for the day. Was there a quota? “I think that while he thinks about you, adores you, and wishes for the old days…I also think that he’s trying to erase it all. Ignore it.”

Okay, he had been looking for music but fucking hell. Emilio wasn’t going for hard rock or metal. Just kill him now world.

_Vomit of suffering, drown me now. Please._

“Erase me, huh? Yeah, his homophobic ass would.” Bitter bile was overtaking the suffering. Emilio was allowed to be pissed once in a while. Joseph’s acceptance of his sexuality had always been shaky. And after hearing his father go on homophobic tirades, Joseph’s little acceptance had most likely been erased.

Hello, homophobe.

It didn’t even come as a surprise to find his father not reacting to Emilio’s words. He knew as well as Emilio about Joseph and his sexuality issues. “You sound mad.”

The possibility of not sounding sarcastic wasn’t going to happen. “Well done, detective.”

“Thank you, junior cop. I try. And if I were you, I’d be pissed too.”

“I appreciate the validation.” And Emilio actually did. Sometimes, Emilio wondered if he was being overreactive. A drama queen. The bullshit stereotypical ‘gay man.’ No mind that he was bi which had its own set of biphobic people. “I’m so sick of this.”

“And yet, here we are. Often. All the time. Weekends, weekdays, it doesn’t matter. You’re sick of this and yet we go through it so frequently like clockwork. If you’re sick of this, do something about it.”

Resting his head in his hands, Emilio shut his eyes. He really was sick of this. Of being served the short end of the straw. Did Joseph even care anymore? If he didn’t, why did Emilio have to care so damn much? Why did he have to be the one suffering alone, wishing that they could at least just talk? Joseph obviously didn’t have the new house number but he memorized Emilio’s parents’ numbers long ago. If he wanted Emilio, he knew exactly how to get a hold of him.

So why hadn’t he?

Because he didn’t want him anymore. Emilio wasn’t worth his time. Worth the trouble he had been through even if he had said different in his letter. For all Emilio knew, Joseph was living just fine, moved on in whatever state and city he was in. And here was Emilio, wishing he could vomit from his pain. Why did he have to hurt alone? Was there a way to actually move on? There had to be; his family wouldn’t keep telling him to if there wasn’t.

How did one move on though? Joseph had been everything to him. How was Emilio supposed to find that again?

“Moving on,” he whispered, really, to himself. But he didn’t care if his father listened to him talk to himself. “Sounds hard.”

“It is.”

Emilio nodded into his hands. Yeah, seemed like it. “How about just little by little. One day at a time.”

“Maybe just cry a couple times a week instead of everyday. Then it becomes once a week, then twice a month, and so on. That’s progress. Moving on doesn’t mean just picking your head up and smiling at a new day. It’s healing too.”

“Healing can take a while.”

“Did I ever tell you about the time I thought mama was cheating on me?”

Lifting his head to look at his father, Emilio shook his head. As if his mother, of all people, would be a cheater. This fool. “Mama would never do that.”

Crossing his legs up on the bed, his father nodded. “Of course not but that didn’t stop me from believing it a year and a half into our relationship. We weren’t married, not even engaged yet. Didn’t live together either, your abuelo Manuel wouldn’t allow it. He kind of still didn’t like me then. Going out on dates was the hardest thing in the world because of him so most of the time we’d plan secretly. Anyways, so we’d make as much as time as possible to see each other almost every day. For a couple weeks, she kept telling me she was busy, that she didn’t have time so we’d only seen each other a couple times.”

“Did it occur to you that she might have actually been busy?”

A sheepish smile grew on his face and a far away look of being in the old days glowed in his eyes. “No. I’m such a hotshot so how could she not make time for me?”

“Conceited.”

“Well, yeah,” his father laughed. “Where do you think you got it from?”

Rolling his eyes, Emilio replied “So funny.”

“Anyways. My irrational mind says she’s cheating, right? So I confront her one time, accuse her and say some really terrible things. What’s she do? Slaps me across the face, tells me that I’m a bastard, and if her going to school was a problem, then I better find myself someone else.”

Emilio couldn’t stop the snort of laughter that came out him. That was so his mom. “My question is, how did you not know she was going to school after a year and half? You’re a terrible boyfriend.”

Laughing himself, his father shrugged with a smirk. “I knew. I just forgot because I was busy creating a thousand scenarios of her being with another man instead of me. She had taken a break and I forgot that she was supposed to start again that month. Now, lesson of the story. Why did I think she was cheating?”

“Because you were a paranoid jealous ass?”

“Well…yes,” his father snorted while rolling his eyes. “But why was I paranoid?”

Leaning back on his hands, Emilio answered “Duh. Because of Laticia. She left scars behind. Well, I guess more cuts because…because you hadn’t healed yet.”

“Exactly. I was extremely happy being with mama. Happier than I’d ever been besides for holding Maria for the first time. Did I love Laticia? I thought I did. But comparing what I felt for her and then what I found with your mother are two entirely different things. I knew I loved mama with all my heart but that didn’t mean I was past the pain Laticia had caused. They’re wounds that can last years, mijo. You love Joseph and that is not wrong even though he’s gone. You will always have a special spot for him in your heart and no one will ever be able to change that.”

Gnawing on the corner of his lip, Emilio murmured “Is there a special place in your heart for Laticia?”

Not even a second was needed to think about his response. “Yes. Because she is the mother of my daughter and nothing will ever change that. Nor do I want to change that. Our relationship may have been terrible but everyone has good times, Emilio. Do I still have a part of me that loves her? Fuck no. Care for her? Yes. I’d never want anything horrible to happen to her. She’s not a monster, mijo.”

“She doesn’t seem like a saint though.”

A very loud snort came from his father. “Hell no. Class A bitch. But not a monster.”

“So lesson of this story?”

Dragging Emilio into a tight hug, his dad replied “The lesson is that it’s okay for Joseph to always be in your heart. But don’t let it stop you from living. You’re so young, mijo. There are years to come for you and years to find someone. You’ll have another relationship, it probably won’t work. You have another.”

“But me and Joseph could’ve worked,” he whispered, trying not to break into tears all over again. Because Emilio knew for a fact that they would have worked. They had just needed to get away from the toxicity, that was all.

They would have made it.

“Maybe, maybe not. We’ll never know. But you can’t stay hung up on that. The what ifs. What if Laticia hadn’t cheated on me? What if I’d given her more chances?”

“Well, I wouldn’t exist.”

Chuckles vibrated through his dad’s body. “That’s the obvious, yes. But you get what I’m going for?”

Emilio nodded into his father’s chest. “Yeah.”

“He asked you to find someone and be happy, Emilio. He never asked you to wallow in what could have been. If anything, at least keep that promise for him.”

There was a part of him that was revolted by the prospect; move on from Joseph? Find someone? It sounded so out there, so farfetched, that his heart refused it. But his mind knew it needed to happen. Emilio knew that he couldn’t waste life like this.

But it was just so hard.

“One day at a time,” Emilio murmured, “I think…I can try that.”

“That’s all any of us ask.”

One day at a time. Emilio could try and he could probably manage. Just one foot in front of the other.

For Joseph.

“Now,” his father started, standing up and running a hand through his hair before scratching along his beard. Emilio couldn’t even remember the last time his father had grown it this much. It wasn’t long but it was longer than normal. He usually kept it clean and closely trimmed or shaved it all off. It depended if his sarge was in a good mood to let him keep his facial hair. “Get your ass up and help me clean. Dying Christmas trees wait for no one.”


	23. For the Love of Snow and Cocoa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Six year old Joseph, snow, old lady, and cocoa. Some added Ivo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Timelinish: Jan 2003
> 
> Joseph: 6  
> Vesela: 30  
> Ivo: 34

“Ew,” Joseph muttered when he noticed that he had gotten sludge on his boots. The sludge was really just the dirty snow he had been stepping in but still.

Ew.

His new pair of boots were only doing their job but because they were fresh, Joseph didn’t want them already dirtied. Just a couple of days ago, his mother had bought them for him, even getting a matching pair for herself. Timbersomethings. Boots were boots to him and they looked good on his feet so name didn’t matter to him. It wasn’t like he knew names of stuff anyways.

Leaning down, he scooped up a handful of snow and began molding it into a lovely shaped ball. His mission for the afternoon was to make billions of little snowmen to decorate the outside of his house. Well, obviously not billions but Joseph wanted to make a huge family. He was too tiny to make a properly sized snowman anyways so why make his afternoon difficult?

After making a snowlady for his snowman, Joseph stood and stared at his two mini snow people. Maybe instead of always having to bend, he could put his snow family on top of something. Make his life easier that way. Going up the steps to his house and entering, he walked over to his mother who was lounging on the couch after wiping his feet on the front mat. “Mayko?”

She glanced up from her book and smiled at him. He loved his mother’s smile; it just sparkled so bright that he couldn’t help but smile back. “Yup?”

“Do we have some kind of box? I need to put my snow family on it.”

“Snow family, huh? That sounds fun.” Rolling off the couch after flipping her book over, she took his hand and dragged him with her to the garage. “Let’s see what we can find.”

After they successfully located a wooden crate, Joseph took himself, his box, and his newly acquired juice box back outside. Once he set up the box right next to the base of the stairs and laid a covering of snow atop it, he carefully picked up his two snow people and set them upon it. “Nice.”

Taking a sip of his juice, Joseph wondered if he should have asked his mother to make him hot cocoa instead. That would have warmed him up good instead of the cold apple juice. At least an hour passed as he continued working on his snow family mission. It was a pretty big family now – mom, dad, three kids, and the grandparents. Joseph had ended up needing another box so he could continue. Aunts, uncles, and cousins were still needed to make the perfect family. But there was a problem.

He was cold.

Even though he was dressed warm with layers, gloves, a scarf, and a beanie, Joseph was officially shivering. His mother had asked if he had wanted to come in and finish tomorrow a little while ago but Joseph didn’t want to until he was done. Missions weren’t just aborted because of the cold.

Pft.

That was for the weak.

Letting out a cough, he stooped down to begin making a snowaunt. There was a tickle in his throat and his face felt hot.

Maybe not aborting was a terrible idea.

“What have you got there?”

Turning from smoothing out snowaunt, Joseph looked at the old lady standing behind him. She also, no surprise, looked cold while all bundled up under her thick shawl, beanie, and gloves. There were a couple bags in her hands, probably having just finished shopping. “I’m making a snow family.”

Nodding, the old lady with an accent close to that of his father replied “It’s looking nice.”

“Thank you. It’s a lotta work.”

With a chuckle, the woman said “I bet so. You must been working long time.”

“Yeah,” he nodded, biting his lip. She made him think of what a grandma seemed like. That old person homeliness and stuff. Joseph didn’t have any grandma’s but he had met his cousins’. Their grandmother wasn’t very grandmotherish on the outside though. She was all proper and fancy. It wasn’t what a grandma should be like in his mind. At least not from what he read in his books.

“You’re looking cold.” Another nod in answer to her words. He was freezing and was sure his nose was going to fall off. Noses could do that, couldn’t they? “Would you like something to warm you up?”

“I’m not supposed to take stuff from strangers, ma’am.” Technically he wasn’t supposed to talk to them either but it was this old lady’s fault, not his.

His words made her go for another round of chuckles. “Of course not, dear. Very smart of you. Go on and tell mama that Mrs. Ivanova wants you to join for some cocoa.”

She made it sound like his mother would know who she was. And he’d love some cocoa… “’Kay.”

Dashing up the steps and into the house, Joseph was about to go to the couch but his mother wasn’t there anymore. He bounced over to the stairs and was about to yank off his boots so he could check upstairs for her when she came out of the bathroom. “All done?” she asked.

“Uh, no,” Joseph replied, fixing his boot before standing. “Um, um, mayko? Mrs. Ivanova wants me to have cocoa with her. Is that okay?” Snowaunt still needed more smoothing and poor snowcousin was only half but they’d be fine. Joseph needed some warmth.

He didn’t want to lose his nose.

“Mrs. Ivanova, huh? Is she outside?” Joseph nodded. Taking his gloved hand in her bare one, they walked over to the door and went out. Mrs. Ivanova was checking out Joseph’s snow family, fixing a lumpy part on snowkid one. “Hello.”

Turning, the old woman smiled to his mother. “Vesela, I want borrow your boy. He makes me think of my grandkids. And poor thing looks cold. Needs some warm chocolate in his stomach.”

His mother thought for a second before replying “Okay.” Crouching to Joseph’s height, she fixed his hat and scarf before pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Enjoy your cocoa and remember to say thank you.”

“’Kay,” he murmured once he kissed her back.

Taking a bag from Mrs. Ivanova because he was a gentleman, Joseph walked with her to her house which it seemed was only a few away from theirs. No wonder his mother knew her; they were neighbors. Walking up her steps after her, Joseph watched as she took out her keys and opened, letting him in first.

“You live all by yourself in this big house?” he asked in curiosity. That probably wasn’t fun. They were three people in his house and still pretty quiet but if Joseph wanted company, he could hang out with his mother. Mrs. Ivanova had no one to hang out with.

“All by myself,” she answered, setting her bags on her little kitchen table.

“Aren’t you lonely?”

A soft smile came on the old woman’s face as she began taking out her groceries. “A bit. Sometimes it’s nice with quiet. But not all time.”

“Oh,” Joseph said as he lifted his own bag onto the table. It was a little difficult but he felt proud when he got it up. “But I thought you have grandkids? They don’t live here?”

“I wish. No back home with my son. Just me and my daughter but she’s in California right now.”

It sounded terrible to be all alone. But… “Where’s home?”

“Oh you are full of questions,” she laughed while pulling out two mugs for their cocoa. “That’s good. Questions are good. Home is Russia, dear.”

Maybe that was why she sounded a bit like his father. “That’s cool. My dad is from Bulgaria. Mayko to but she was born here like me. But we’re kinda neighbors, huh?”

“A bit, yes. And I have met your father. Nice man.”

Joseph wanted to disagree because he couldn’t ever remember his father being a nice man but something told him to stay quiet. Maybe his father just wasn’t nice to him? That had to be it because he was always nice to Joseph’s mother. What was wrong with Joseph then? Why didn’t he get the niceness? “Can I help?” he asked to change the subject as he watched her scoop powder into the mugs.

“Why don’t you get the cream from fridge?”

Walking over to her fridge, Joseph opened it up and glanced around until he found the can of whipped cream in the door. “Can I put it too? I like putting the cream on top.”

“Of course. Come on over.”

Closing the fridge after grabbing the can, he walked over and was surprised when she lifted him up so he could reach the counter. He would have used a chair but this worked too although he was worried about the poor old woman’s back. “Thank you,” he murmured as he focused on making perfect swirls in their cups which had been mixed already. Mrs. Ivanova handed him the cinnamon to do too which he did, sprinkling a bit on each. “Perfect.”

“They do look lovely. No marshmallows?”

He shook his head as she set him back on the floor. “I don’t like marshmallows. They’re kinda nasty and too mushy.”

“Eh? What is this foolery!” she laughed, taking out a bag of mini marshmallows from a cabinet. “I love marshmallows.” She dropped a couple on top of her cream, “They’re good.”

They each took a couch in her living room, bundled under blankets while sipping cocoa and talking. It was nice and toasty under the blankets and he really liked sitting with her. If this was what having a grandma was like then Joseph wished he had one. Or at least one like Mrs. Ivanova. He could do without Andrey’s and Anka’s.

Setting his now empty cup of cocoa on the coffee table, Joseph curled up deeper under the warm blankets and rested his head on a pillow. Making snow people all afternoon had been tiring and now that he was relaxing, his exhaustion was all he felt. Maybe he’d close his eyes just for a little.

  

* * *

 

Coming down the stairs after changing out of his jeans and button up, Ivo slipped on the pair of house slippers at the foot of the stairs because the tile was cold as fuck before going over to Vesela in the kitchen. Standing behind her and looping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder, he kissed her cheek and whispered “Hi.”

“That’s funny, I think I said hi when you walked in,” she snorted in amusement while stirring a pot of bean soup. Ivo’s mother had taught Vesela to make it and while his wife’s was good, it wasn’t his mother’s. But soup was good on such a cold snowy day so no way would he complain.

“True but I like saying hi to you.” Glancing around, he realized they were missing someone. “Where’s Joseph?” He didn’t remember seeing or hearing Joseph in his room. Nikol’s maybe?

“Mrs. Ivanova.”

Ivo stared at the profile of his wife’s face in surprise. That was weird. “Why?”

Shrugging out of his grasp to get to the fridge, Vesela replied “She asked him to have cocoa with her. He reminded her of her grandkids and I felt bad for the lonely woman. Probably sucks living alone.”

“So…she just came to the door and asked for Joseph?” Still weird no matter how lonely a person was.

“No, he was making snow people and she was outside and asked him and he asked me.” Her head turned to look at the clock on the wall of the stairs. “It’s been awhile, can you go get him? I’m actually surprised he stayed so long. I thought he was just being nice but maybe he actually wanted to.”

It was odd for a six year old to enjoy the company of an old woman but maybe he actually did like her. Grandmother figure maybe? _Jesus, mayko, if only you were here._

“Yeah, sure,” he yawned, walking over to the door and pulling on a pair of shoes before going out. It was cold as fuck to the second degree in just his sweatshirt but it wasn’t worth putting on a jacket when he was just walking a minute to the old woman’s house.

Taking out a hand from his sweatshirt pocket, he rang the bell before shoving it back in. Maybe gloves would have been smart. Fucking Christ, it was cold. It took a minute but finally the sound of locks opening came and Mrs. Ivanova opened the door for him. “And here I was hoping to keep him. Such a sweet boy, that one.”

“That he is,” he smiled as he walked in, shrugging off his shoes so he wouldn’t track snow in. His kid was annoying and cried too much for Ivo’s liking but even he couldn’t say that he wasn’t sweet. “Hope he’s ready to go. Dinner awaits.”

“I wouldn’t say ready,” she laughed quietly as they walked over to the living room. “Building a snow family is quite the work.”

Joseph was curled up under two blankets, fast asleep while still bundled in all his outside clothes. He looked, well, adorable. Ivo could admit that. “Snow family, huh?” he murmured quietly as he bent down and lifted his son up into his arms, the movement not even registering to his tired child. He remembered passing a couple crates by the stairs, something atop them. At the time, he hadn’t been paying attention because food was really on his brain right now but he’d stop to look on the way back.

“He’s such a sweet boy,” she repeated as she followed Ivo to the door. “I might keep him next time, Ivo.”

Laughing quietly so he didn’t wake Joseph as he shoved his feet into his shoes, Ivo replied “We’d miss him too much. Sorry. I’ll bring your blankets back once I take him.”

“No rush. Let him enjoy them.”

“Fuck it’s cold,” he muttered once he was outside. It was a repetitive thought but Jesus. Making sure Joseph was all covered up, Ivo walk back over to his own house, making sure to stop at the snow family. Ivo had no idea who was who but it was still cute. There was a half formed one on the second box and Ivo wondered who was the poor soul left unfinished. “Sorry half snow person.”

“Snow cousin.”

Ivo glanced down at the bundle in his arms in the brightness of his porchlight. Joseph was still half asleep, trying to cover his face from the cold. “Snow cousin?”

A nod came and then a yawn as Joseph blinked sleepily at him. “Big families have cousins.”

“Very true.”

Squishing his face back into Ivo’s chest and under the blankets, Joseph closed his eyes back up. How could Ivo not tolerate this adorable bundle in his arms? Why was it when Joseph was awake that Ivo only found himself to be annoyed?

It was so Yosef that it made him sick. And yet, he couldn’t find a way to get himself out of that ditch. Why? Ivo wanted to do better, be better, but it just wasn’t working. Everything about Joseph typically irritated him. Crying was possibly understandable on the annoying level but what about everything else?

Shaking his head as he walked up the stairs to his house, Ivo cleared his mind of these thoughts. His problems and failures wouldn’t be solved by just standing here. Once he was back in the warmth of his own home, he walked over to the couches and set Joseph on one. Vesela had disappeared but Ivo was too hungry to wait. It wasn’t hard to put dinner anyways.

“Smells yummy,” Joseph murmured, half in and out of sleep. Conscious enough for food apparently.

 _I can be better. I can do this._ “Do you want to help me put dinner? We can surprise your mayko.”

Rubbing his face and yawning, Joseph nodded sleepily. Even through the haze of sleep, Joseph was looking at him weird. Like ‘who are you and what have you done with my bastard father?’

Okay, the word bastard probably wasn’t in there but close enough.

But Ivo would do better. He just needed some time and maybe a drastic awakening.

He’d do better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *wink wink*  
> Drastic awakening - i.e. Joseph's kidnapping


	24. Bittersweet Fourth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1st Fourth w/o Joseph and Vesela. Anka's pov

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this ended up more...like a recap sort of thing for them? There definitely is very little celebrating/action. Lots of explaining/reflecting stuff. Maybe not everyone's cup of tea  
> Enjoy!
> 
> Timelinish: July 4th 2010
> 
> P.S. I was gonna put some Ivo pov in but then I didn't want to take away Anka's moment. Should I do a separate Ivo one or nah?

“Do we think we’ll do anything tonight?”

Anka glanced over to her brother, lying on her bed and staring up at the ceiling. She didn’t appreciate the fact that he was messing up her bed – blanket wrinkling here and pillow strewn there. Her bed had to be at a certain standard so she wouldn’t cringe while looking at it but her siblings always seemed to ruin it. Sometimes she swore they did it on purpose.

Actually, they probably did. Why else would Albena just suddenly dart into the room at the most random times and throw herself on the bed? Not two minutes would pass before her sister would suddenly dash off, laughing as she did. “I hope we do.”

Andrey picked up his head and glared at her with a look of betrayal crossing his features. “I don’t think we should. It won’t be the same.”

Turning her focus back to her drawing and its complicated design because somehow she always seemed to love making everything hard, Anka replied “No, no it won’t. But we have to.”

“How you figure? I think I’ll cry lighting fireworks without Joseph being there. Tétka too.” She heard him drop his head back onto her bed. With a broken voice, he added “God, I miss him so much. And her but at least we get to talk to her. I can fake myself into thinking that she’s around.”

Not having Joseph around was driving them all insane. Maybe they hadn’t seen him every day but he’d always been just a street away. He had been there, so close to them. To Anka, he was a fourth sibling to her one too many. An older brother.

Now one of her brothers was gone.

For the first three days, Anka had cried. She hadn’t had anymore tears after that. Her mother had cried for a week before she forced herself to put on a strong face for them. Anka knew that her mother blamed herself for not noticing anything that day she had visited. Heck, her father blamed her; he had barely starting speaking to her again last month. But Anka knew that his silence wasn’t just punishment for her. It was for him too by depriving himself of her company.

Because Anka knew that he blamed himself as much as her mother.

Andrey, unlike the rest of them – Albena and Timotei didn’t count, cried whenever he thought too much about it. If she stole a glance to him right now, she was sure that she’d find tears building up in his eyes. It wasn’t that the rest of them didn’t feel like Andrey but her brother was different. More empathetic, more sensitive. He always had been; it was just the way he was. Not having Joseph around caused him to shed more tears than he probably had all his life.

“I think Joseph would want us to,” she murmured finally. “He’d want us to have smiles on our faces.”

Groaning, Andrey sounded like he shoved his face into one of her pillows because his voice came out muffled. “It’s gonna be so bittersweet. I’m not joking, I’ll legit cry. Bawl my stupid eyes out.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that. Makes you human.” A thought struck her as she thought of bittersweet memories. “You think the bastard cries?” She never called him anything else unless she was in front of him or her parents because she had to be ‘respectful.’

Load of garbage.

With a huge snort, Andrey mumbled through the pillow “Fuck him. Fuck. Him. Although…I…dammit, I hope he does because that means he cares. It just doesn’t enter my mind that he never cared. Like, let’s be real. Joseph and him were super close. Close like you and tatko, you know?”

She actually did know. Which was why all this mess was such a…well, a mess. Anka saw it with her own eyes how much they had loved each other, how incredibly close they used to be. Even closer than her and her father which said a lot.

So what the hell?

“How could tetíncho just throw away everything they had ever had over Joseph being gay? Why’s it such a big deal that he wanted…dicks instead of…you know…”

It was hilarious how Andrey could barely say ‘dick’ in front of her and couldn’t even whisper ‘vagina’ or whatever word he was going to use. Pathetic. She may be only thirteen but seriously? “I know.”

“So why’s it such a problem? It doesn’t bother me. Never bothered me and I’ve known for years.”

That was one of the things that bothered Anka. How come Andrey got to know more than she did? She had always thought that she and Joseph had been close but it seemed Andrey was closer which shocked her to no end. Her cousin and brother had never really gotten along. “He’s a homophobe; there is no explaining those kind of people.”

Silence followed her words until Andrey whispered “I think it bothers mayko.”

Anka was Anka.

Which meant she knew everything.

“I know,” she said as she carefully inked a line. If her hand shook right now, her entire picture would be ruined. “There’s no ‘I think’ because it does. She tries to act like it doesn’t but I can tell.”

It was subtle but it was there. Her mother had issues saying the word gay. It was usually whispered even if throughout the whole sentence she had been using a normal tone of voice. For her mother, it was like the word was a bad one or a slur. Like it was gross or foul.

More silence came before Andrey sighed “I thought he and Emilio were really nice together.”

He wasn’t rubbing in how much more info he knew that she didn’t but when he said stuff like that, it kind of bugged her. How didn’t she notice that Joseph and Emilio were dating? She used to see them all the time. “I bet they were all romantic and cutesy.”

“You think? Funny as it is, I think Joseph was probably the romantic one. Gifts and stuff. But then, no offense to Emilio, Joseph was the rich one so maybe it was to even the ground out.”

“Maybe.”

They sat in a comfortable silence, each one lost in their own heads. Everything that was good was gone and it bothered her a lot. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt so goddamn much if Joseph would just talk on the phone. Anka didn’t get why that was such an issue. Why wouldn’t he take the stupid phone?

“Hey, Anka?” She hummed in response, letting her brother know that she was listening. “You think…you think they had like…sex?”

A laugh erupted from her, despite it really not being that funny. It was more that it was funny that that topic was what her brother was stuck on. With his new relationship with Ivet, her brother was pretty hesitant. Ivet had literally complained to her that he seriously needed to take the initiative once in a while. Couldn’t he lean in for the kiss just once?

_“I won’t freaking eat him.”_

“What?” he muttered in annoyance. “I’m just wondering.”

“Ask Emilio, although, I doubt it. But what do I know? I didn’t even know they were a thing.”

“You really need to get over that,” he snorted. “It’s not like Joseph told me they were together; I just noticed. Plus, he didn’t even tell me that he was gay, I just figured it out. In fact, he cursed me the hell out when I let him know that I knew.”

“Whatever,” Anka sighed. It wasn’t worth the annoyance of the conversation. “Just ask Emilio.”

The creak of her bed springs sounded meaning that either he was rolling over or getting up. “I haven’t talked to Emilio. It’d be weird if I suddenly called him up just to ask if they had sex, don’t you think?”

“That’d be totally weird, don’t do it.”

Her head turned to look at her father leaning in the doorway. “Hi.”

“Hello,” he replied, walking in with a soft smile on his face. He took a seat by Andrey who had sat up. Turning in her chair to face them, Anka waited. Her father always seemed to have this ‘infinite wisdom’ and this ‘genius brain’ and it bugged her.

Why didn’t she get that?

“Why haven’t you talked to Emilio?”

Andrey raised one of his thick brows that Ivet apparently called sexy. “Seriously? Why do you think?”

Understanding glistened in the depths of her father’s eyes as he nodded. “You blame him.”

“If he hadn’t been there, none of this mess would have happened. Everything would be fine. He should’ve stayed home.”

To her, Emilio wasn’t to blame. It wasn’t his fault that the bastard of a man married to her aunt was a homophobe. Could he and Joseph been a little smarter? Yeah, definitely but no one was to blame except the mobster.

“It was only a matter of time,” their father said, “How long do you actually think they would have been able to keep it a secret? Eventually, they would have been found out. It was inevitable, Andrey. Maybe it could have gone down differently but it happened and that’s it.”

“You knew, didn’t you?” Anka asked. Her father was just too calm about everything besides for the first day. Plus, he always somehow seemed to know everything. Anka usually did but apparently her skills needed more honing.

With a distant look in his eyes like he was thinking about something, her father finally replied “Not necessarily although I did suspect. I suspected a boy after a conversation he and I had where he kept avoiding using gender terms and then…well, Joseph has a lot of problems. He’s not going to trust just anyone with himself.”

That had a lot of truth to it. Why hadn’t she guessed it? Joseph had known Alicia for a while so he knew her. He knew Emilio for what felt like forever so why would he trust anyone else? “Yeah, good point.”

“Joseph doesn’t have problems,” Andrey said in a defensive tone. Her brother always had trouble admitting things. The obvious was their father and his disability. The next was apparently Joseph. A blind squirrel could tell Joseph had problems.

Rolling his eyes, their father snorted “Andrey, Joseph has loads of problems, including ones we don’t know of. Case in point, antidepressants at seven.”

“Well, he needed them. He’d been through a lot.” Her brother had come a long way from the boy who had called his cousin a depressed girl.

“Yes, very true but it is extremely rare that a doctor will give such a young child a drug like that. He not only suffers from depression so young but has serious anxiety issues; panic attacks to extreme levels where he can’t even function properly. Those aren’t problems to you?”

They were but Andrey would never admit it.

“Not to mention that I think there’s more than that.”

More? “Like what?”

Glancing over to her, her father replied “Can’t yell at me. I’ve said this for years and all I ever get is your mayko yelling at me.”

Interesting. Something told her, however, that Andrey would be the one yelling if there was to be any. “Do tell.”

“I think he has…mental issues. A disorder maybe.”

Silence fell as both she and Andrey stared in shock at their father. Sure Joseph had issues sometimes but to stretch all the way to that? No way.

Andrey was the first to find his voice. “That’s freakin’ stupid. ‘Course he doesn’t.”

“I think he does. I think that something is wrong, has been wrong, and no one wants to take a look. And I think someone one of these days needs to before he drops himself into a hole and can’t get out.” Rubbing the top his cane with his thumb, he added softly “A really really deep hole. One where maybe there’s no coming out of.”

This conversation was getting ridiculous. Deep hole? Like what? What was there that her brilliant cousin couldn’t get himself out of? Nothing besides being dead.

Shit.

“Tatko, that’s not funny.”

“No, no it isn’t but it’s a path that some people go down and I’m terrified it’s one that Joseph will travel. A very likely one that he might take.”

“Stop. That’s not going to happen.”

Her brother must have barely caught up right now because his eyes went wide with horror. “You mean like suicide? D-Don’t be stupid, guys. Why would he do that? Don’t say that.”

Sighing, her father simply nodded. That was the end of a conversation that he probably couldn’t have with anyone else and had most likely hoped that he could have it with them. Anka wished they could but she didn’t want to even imagine something so horrible happening. They hadn’t ever gotten this in depth about the whole ‘mess’ because it had always been hard to talk about. Her and Andrey would share small conversations like they had earlier but that was the extent. Her mother never wanted to broach the subject but would give highlights about how tétka was. Obviously, their father wanted to tackle the subject but apparently her and Andrey weren’t ready for his level of convo.

“Tatko…” Anka whispered in worry, “He wouldn’t, right?”

His deep beautiful eyes rested on her, gazing intently like he could see everything. At this moment, she wished that he could. “I don’t know. But…I do think it’s a possibility that someone needs to think about even if no one else will. Just like him being mentally ill. It can be genetic which is why I think there’s an even higher chance beyond my suspicions.”

“Genetic?” Andrey asked in confusion. “Is there something wrong with tétka? She seems normal to me. I mean, she seems okay. Mentally ill people are completely normal, sorry.”

Since they were little, their father taught them about people who were mentally ill or disabled. That they shouldn’t treat them as if their stupid or worthless or less than anyone else. Sometimes she wondered if he based so much of his preaching on the fact that strínka Sofiya had down syndrome and he hated when people looked down on her.

“Your tétka is fine,” their father snorted with an eyeroll. “Go for the nonobvious. I thought you’re smart.”

“Oh…OH.” With a blush, he brother mumbled “I knew that.”

The bastard had always been…odd but Anka just thought it was the way he was. She had always loved him which she now chastised herself for. But sick? “You know this for sure?”

“Technically…no. I have no doctor diagnosis and neither does he. But he’s told me about it before and I have my assumption to what he has. And I know that he does too but is too afraid to go to a doctor and make it official.”

“And you think Joseph has it?”

“No, I think Joseph has something else.”

“I wished he’d get on the stupid phone,” Andrey interrupted with a mutter. “Stupid jerk.”

Their father looked like he was trying to decide if he should tell them something or not. Both she and Andrey could tell so they waited until finally he asked “You guys know he smokes?”

Blinking blankly at the man sitting on her bed, Anka said “Don’t be stupid. Joseph would never.”

Clucking his tongue, her father revealed “Since May. Smokes weed. And that’s only what your tétka had figured out. Who knows if there’s anything else.”

“Bullshit,” Andrey said in a shocked whisper. They never used language in front of their parents, only ever to each other. That was how shocked Andrey was.

“Language and yes, it’s true. She smelled it on him then they fought about it the next day. Apparently, they fight a lot.”

That was as much of a shock as the weed. Sure, everyone fought with their parents once in a while but Joseph and tétka were close. They always looked out for each other.

“He needs to be here,” Andrey muttered, staring down at the floor. “The need to be here. Then everything would get better. It’d all be okay. No drugs, no fighting.”

It was completely naïve to think like that. Sure, the move had some effect but the problems were the problems. They existed regardless of where Joseph and tétka Vesela were living. Maybe they’d be easier to manage with all of them around but they wouldn’t just magically disappear. The bastard had created them and unless the man himself fixed them, they’d still be around regardless of how hard they all tried to help.

“Also,” their father continued, “Going back to Emilio? Don’t shut him out. How do you think he’s feeling right now? He not only lost his best friend and boyfriend but, apparently, he lost you guys too. He may have started out as Joseph’s friend but would you say that he didn’t become yours? You guys are feeling horrible not hearing from Joseph who’s like a brother to you guys. How do you think Emilio feels not hearing from neither the boy he loves and from people he was close to?”

Way to lay it on thick. “It’s not that we’re shutting him out…it’s just…” Anka tried to find the words because they weren’t shutting him out or, at least, she wasn’t unlike Andrey who blamed him. It’s just…Emilio suddenly became an afterthought to Joseph. It sounded horrible but it was just how it was. She needed to hear from Joseph and know he was okay before ever worrying about Emilio who hadn’t been beaten into the floor. “It’s hard,” she finally sighed. There was no better way to put it.

“I know,” he nodded. “I know that this whole thing is extremely difficult and I’m sorry you guys have to go through it. But here we are.”

Anka nodded before resting her chin on her arms which rested on the top of the back of her desk chair. “Andrey wants to know if we’re gonna do fireworks or not.”

“Jerk,” her brother muttered causing her to laugh. “Couldn’t you have just asked without the whole blame stuff?”

“It’s not blame,” she snorted in amusement. “It’s ownership.”

“Would you guys like to?” their father asked curiously. Maybe he thought that they wouldn’t want to. Bittersweet like Andrey had said. “We can if you’d like.”

“Andrey says he’ll cry if we do.”

“Oh my God! Shut up!” Her brother crossed his arms in annoyance. “I tell you things not for you to go telling them around.”

“Tatko isn’t ‘around.’”

“Okay, okay,” their father interrupted with a wave of his hands. “Relax, people. I would have known that even if I hadn’t been told.” Andrey’s face scrunched. “Now, would you guys like to? We can do a couple in the street if you guys want.”

Anka nodded despite how uncomfortable it was in her current head resting position. “I want. I think Joseph would like that. Obviously small ones, huh?”

“Obviously.”

“I still want.”

 

 

Her father handed her a fountain firework, allowing her for the first time to light her own. It had always bugged her how her brother, cousin, Ivet, Emilio, and even his sisters all got to light fireworks by themselves and she didn’t. She was way more trustworthy than them. Andrey would always just laugh and say that their father was worried for his ‘little girl.’

She had the sudden urge to punch both the older dudes in her life.

Timotei was lucky for being little right now.

Walking over to the wood platform her father had set down in the street, Anka set her firework upon it and put on the goggles and gloves she was to wear. Grabbing the lighter she had been given, she took a deep breath before clicking the button and stretching her hand out to the fuse which caught in seconds.

It was below Anka to squeal and yet she did in excitement as she rushed back to her family and watched the sparks beginning to fly until the entire thing caught, the fountain letting loose. “Cool or what!” she shouted in happiness as they watched the beautiful color show.

“Totally awesome,” Andrey laughed as he wiped his eyes.

Anka really didn’t think she’d end up with tears so when she suddenly felt the soft trickles going down her cheeks, she was shocked. Her brother somehow noticed in the dark as their father went to set up another and dragged her into a tight hug. She was suffocating in his chest but hell if she cared. Wrapping her arms around him, she cried with all the bittersweet pain she was feeling.

_You better be lighting some beautiful fireworks, Joseph._

_I miss you and love you._


	25. The Ice Cream Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The infamous ice cream shop meeting. Vesela/Ivo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this came out way cute  
> Enjoy!
> 
> Timelinish: End of May 1986  
> Ivo: 17  
> Timotei: 42  
> Vesela: 13  
> Nikol: 15

“He’s looking,” Nikol whispered after cleaning the ice cream off her spoon.

Vesela had the urge to turn around but she knew it would look all obvious. The mysterious man would know that she was turning to look at him. There was no other reason for Vesela to look behind herself. “Looking at us? Or just this general direction?”

Her older sister tried to casually glance over Vesela's shoulder. “Dunno. Could be either.”

“Wow, so helpful,” Vesela snorted.

“If you want to see, then just look.”

She wasn’t stupid, it was a blatant dare. Nikol may make it sound all casual but Vesela knew her sister. Both of them were nothing if not competitive. Their father never understood it; they were sisters, weren’t they?

Yeah, but it didn’t mean they didn’t like one upping each other.

“Fine,” she shrugged, ignoring her nervous heart that was ready to burst out of her chest. “Easy.”

Taking a deep breath, Vesela turned her head to look over her shoulder at this handsome man. When they had first walked in, the man hadn’t registered to her until they had sat down and Nikol said that he was gorgeous. Then Vesela ended up regretting sitting on this side, her back to him.

She couldn’t see his face well from how he was sitting. He was staring down, lost in the child size bowl of ice cream in his hand like it was the most amazing thing in the world. His clothes looked a bit raggedy but she wouldn’t say that he was dirty. Poor maybe? She watched as he scooped some ice cream with his spoon, picking up his head as he put it in his mouth.

Their eyes caught.

Nikol hadn’t been joking. Talk about handsome. He couldn’t be that old, could he? The man didn’t seem old and yet…his eyes looked even older than her father’s. How was that possible?

He blinked at her, slowly taking the spoon out of his mouth. Vesela had always liked boys with blue eyes but she was starting to rethink that as she stared into the abyss of his brown ones. Was it awkward that they were still staring at each other? Should she do something? Wave? Smile? Stop staring like a weirdo?

Vesela settled for a smile.

That must have been the right move because, lord, did his face light up. A smile overtook his face and his eyes glowed like she had given him the greatest gift in the world.

“Do not stare, Vesela. That is rude.”

Her head whipped around in surprise, blushing from embarrassment. She hadn’t noticed that her father had come back in from his phone call. “Sorry, tate.”

With that hearty chuckle she loved, her father replied “Simply remember your manners, dear. You wouldn’t like if someone stared at you.”

She'd have to disagree with that. Vesela wouldn’t mind if the handsome boy – she decided that he looked too young to be a man – stared at her. Was he still looking at her? The urge to look at him again, smile for him so he could smile back, was huge. There was a bathroom here, wasn’t there? She could pass by him without being weird.

Eating the last of her ice cream quickly, she said to Nikol “Come with me to the bathroom?”

“Yeah, gimme a sec,” Nikol replied before finishing her strawberry ice cream. Vesela wasn’t really a fan of that flavor. Scooping the last of it and licking her spoon clean, Nikol jumped up. “Let’s go.”

Grabbing her trash, Vesela stood and took a deep breath before turning around, her eyes immediately going to the boy. She wanted to smile for him again but he wasn’t paying attention. Instead, he was just…staring at her father. Almost in shock. Why?

But she couldn’t just stand there to stare despite how attractive the boy was. “Why do you think he looked so shocked?” Vesela asked her sister once they made it to the restroom. Technically, it was a one person bathroom but they just wanted to wash their hands anyways.

“Was he? I wasn’t looking.”

“How could you not?” Vesela laughed while drying her hands. “Girl, he’s gorgeous.”

Rolling her eyes while scrubbing her hands, Nikol snorted “Hello, I’m the one who told you that. But I’m not gonna be creepy and keep staring at him.”

“Can’t help it,” Vesela replied as she pulled the door open, leaning against it to hold it open for Nikol. “The boy is something.”

“True, true,” her sister said as she walked out.

Vesela followed her only for her to bump into her back a second later. “What the hell,” she muttered. If her father had heard her, she would be in so much trouble. He always told them how he never wanted to hear those types of words come out of their mouths. There was no use for them and it was ill-mannered. Especially in company.

“He’s talking to tate.”

“Huh?”

Nikol pushed them back into the hallway where the bathroom was. “The guy. He’s talking to tate. At our table.”

Weird…and interesting. “Why do you think?”

“Dunno,” Nikol whispered like they were at risk of being heard all the way over here. “Can’t see his face. He took your seat.”

  

* * *

 

“…anything at all,” the young man in front of him begged. Ivo, he had introduced himself as. “Please. I’ll work any sort of jobs you have. Doesn’t matter what it is, I’ll do it. I can do it, I promise.”

Timotei examined Ivo closely. He looked as though he slept on the streets, his clothes ragged and tired. As tired looking as his face really. “Where do you live?” he asked curiously.

Pink tinged the young man’s cheeks as he looked down at the table. “Is that necessary? I’m offering cheap labor, sir. My life is irrelevant.”

Very true but Timotei had this itching in his head that he needed to find out this boy’s story. He seemed incredibly desperate. So desperate that Ivo had practically jumped the table the minute the girls had gotten up. “I find many things relevant.”

There was a small flash of anger in Ivo’s eyes. Fiery dangerous anger but none of it came out in his voice. “The streets.”

Nodding, Timotei murmured “And what is your plight?”

Taking a deep breath like he was cooling down, Ivo replied “I need work. If you have none, please say.”

He had. Plenty of it, actually. But he needed to know more before making a decision. “Tell me more. Then I may have work for you.”

Crossing his arms as he relaxed into the chair, Ivo grated his lip between his teeth. Finally, he sighed as he dropped his head into his hands. Ivo sat like that for a few minutes before sitting back up, looking defeated and red eyed.

Something had this young man so close to the floor. So close to being broken. Maybe with just a push, the boy before him would simply shatter.

Ivo sat and told his story, not once faltering or looking away. It was difficult to listen to the horrors and betrayals. Timotei was furious on the young man’s behalf because of the horrors he had to face. And he knew that Ivo was barely giving him anything of his tale, only providing the utmost bare minimum.

“…staying with this older woman I met. That way she can have a roof over her head and a proper place to sleep. Myself it does not matter because I spend my time working whatever jobs I can find.”

Timotei greatly respected anyone putting their family first for anything. Ivo seemed to be putting his life out there simply for the sake of his mother.

A good man sat before him.

“Now I ask again, have you anything?” Ivo continued in a desperate tone, “Please. Or maybe you can direct me to someone? You’re the first I’ve met from our country. The first who I can actually properly communicate with because I can’t even speak the ugly language of this horrid place.” Grasping Timotei’s hand tight and pressing a kiss to the top of it in deference, Ivo begged “Please let me be correct in placing my hope with you. Please, sir.”

Was he correct? Timotei felt…that he was. He could help this boy, help the boy’s mother, to a better life. How could one so young have already gone through so much? It would be a sin upon his being if Timotei _didn’t_ help. God would never forgive him for not helping one who was incredibly down on his luck. Down on his entire life.

Nodding slowly while taking his hand back, Timotei said “You’re are correct.”

Ivo’s entire face lit up in excitement and deep in those eyes of his, complete relief. Like a burden was slowly being lifted off his shoulders. “Truly? Please, don’t be playing with me. You truly mean it?”

Smile growing on his face, Timotei nodded with full surety. “Truly. You can, in fact, beginning as early as tomorrow. And not just odd jobs; you will have full employment with me.”

Eyes growing wide with disbelief, Ivo whispered “Full, sir?”

“Full. I am more than happy to provide relief to both you and your mother.”

Yanking his Timotei’s hand over, Ivo placed kiss after kiss on it. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Chuckling, Timotei took his hand back. “I’ve not even told you what you may be working.”

“I don’t care. Let it be cleaning bathrooms, I don’t care. It’s work and it’s a long term job. That’s money in my pocket without the worry of when I can manage more. Thank you and may God give you the highest blessings for your generosity.”

“Thank you,” he smiled graciously. His eyes caught on his daughters still standing in the back of the shop, whispering to one another. Shame on him for thinking he had come to the ice cream shop alone. He gestured them over, preferring that they didn’t stand beside what could be a filthy restroom.

Nikol pushed her sister in front of herself as they made their way over. Timotei had no problem with Ivo sitting at the table; his daughters knew very well what Timotei’s business was. It wasn’t ideal to have them around his work but he was a single father who wanted and needed to spend time with his beautiful girls.

“Tate,” Vesela started, a tiny tinge of pink in her cheeks as she flicked a quick glance at Ivo. “Um, can me and Nikol get another scoop each? Please?”

“If I recall correctly, you’ve each already had one.”

“Well, yeah, but…” she paused as she tried to come up something, her brows scrunching together. Vesela must have come up with what she thought was a good answer because suddenly her face beamed. “You didn’t have none-”

“Any,” he corrected. His daughters often times switched to speaking English because they were so used to it here. And while it wasn’t Timotei’s first language, he still had better grammar than them.

For shame.

“Any,” she laughed, “So we gotta eat for your share. Duh.”

There was no stopping the laugh that escaped him from such beautiful childish reasoning. Ivo was looking between them curiously, probably not fully understanding as he tried to put the words together to find out why they were funny.

“Please?” Nikol added in hope. “Just one more.”

Nodding as he laughed and pulled out his wallet to his daughters’ excitements, Timotei explained to Ivo in Bulgarian “More ice cream.”

“I knew the word ice cream,” he muttered sullenly. “I was working on the rest.”

“I have no doubt,” Timotei soothed as he handed each daughter a few dollars. The boy had only been here a few months, Timotei didn’t expect him to have perfect understanding already. Although, he was surprised that Ivo hadn’t learned English at school or possibly home. “I simply didn’t want to leave you out.”

“Thank you.” Turning to look at Timotei’s daughters but seemingly focusing on Vesela, Ivo said in broken English with an accent heavier than Timotei’s own “Flavor chocolate. Best ice cream.” Shaking his head quickly, he tried again. “Ice cream best flavor chocolate.” He must have known that the sentence was still incorrect because he blushed before covering his face and muttering something to himself.

About to help him, Timotei was beaten out by Vesela. However, she didn’t correct his language but instead acted as though Ivo had spoken perfectly. “Chocolate, huh? I like peanut butter the best but maybe I’ll get chocolate.”

Slowly removing his hands revealing him biting his lip, Ivo tried “Peanut butter…” He made a circular motion with his hand, trying to grasp the word he was going for. “Um…okay.”

“Decent? Not bad?”

With a smile on his face, Ivo pointed at Vesela. “Yes.”

Timotei hoped that Ivo was smart; he seemed like it if he made it this far from the tale he had been through. But it’d be incredibly difficult to get through life with such a terrible grasp on the native language here.

“So I should have chocolate? Eat chocolate?” Perhaps she had been worried that the first sentence was too complicated for him.

“Yes,” Ivo laughed causing Vesela to practically sparkle.

It was a good thing they wouldn’t see each other beyond maybe by chance and rarely because Timotei felt that the pair seemed far too excited for each other. Ivo’s smile and eyes too bright and Vesela’s face pink and excited. Plus, Ivo was practically a man though he had only turned seventeen a couple months ago. Vesela was only thirteen.

As if Timotei would ever let anything develop between them. He wanted his daughters to enjoy their young lives, not worry after silly things such as impressing boys. Especially none of who worked for him. It had never been a problem because he rarely employed those who were below twenty – he needed men not boys.

But now he had Ivo because of pity.

Ivo looked around like he was trying to find something to help him explain himself. Muttering something under his breath, he finally just settled for making one hand as a cup and the other making sprinkling motions on top. “Best with…” he emphasized the sprinkling motion.

Throughout this conversation, Timotei wondered why Ivo just didn’t switch to Bulgarian when he knew they all spoke it. It was why he had jumped the table, from hearing Timotei and his girls speaking their language. But from the slight blush coloring Ivo’s cheeks, Timotei figured out why.

He was trying to impress the girls.

“Sprinkles?” Nikol asked.

Playing with a piece of hair that had fallen from her braid, Vesela added “What kind of sprinkles?”

Annoyance flickered in Ivo’s eyes as he once again searched for a way to explain himself. The young man decided upon making an arcing motion with his hands. “Colors.”

“Rainbow?”

Looking a little confused with his brows drawing in, Ivo looked to Timotei for translation. “Rainbow,” he said in Bulgarian. “The sprinkles are rainbow?”

“Yes!” Ivo said, happy that Vesela had understood. “Best.”

Smiling bright literally causing Ivo’s entire face to ignite into sunshine reincarnated, Vesela laughed “Well then I guess I’m getting chocolate with rainbow sprinkles. I have to try this ‘best.’”

Not all of the sentence Ivo knew because his sunshine dampened a bit as he thought, but he must have known ‘try’ and he definitely knew ‘best.’ His eyes sparkled in delight like she was doing him the greatest favor in the world.

“I’m Vesela by the way,” she said, offering him her hand.

Taking the hand with a little too much eagerness for Timotei, Ivo kissed the top in respect – making Vesela a tomato – and replied “Pleasure to meet.” With a bright grin and still holding her hand softly, he added “Ivo.” 


	26. Sir Nazi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chaerin makes a discovery in Daniel's old house followed by having the need to impersonate voices. Constipated Batman is her skill

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested the bro who has a serious obsession of these two. Not that they aren't cute  
> Enjoy!
> 
> P.S. Make sure to read her lines toward the end in a super deep voice. Promise it'll make it more fun
> 
> Also, in case it needs to be mentioned, there are talks of a Nazi in this. Not in a positive light, of course. But just in case that needs to be said.

Permission had been given but Chaerin still felt like she was invading on something that wasn’t hers. Daniel had specifically said that she could go through the house. Actually, that he’d prefer if she did. They needed to clean up his former house and take the important things to their new one. In all honesty though, she seriously hated this house. Not that she’d ever be able to tell Daniel because she had no idea how to just put that into words. Hey, dear husband mine, I hate your old house?

Yeah, that would definitely not work. So she stayed silent about it instead.

It wasn’t that the house was hideous or anything. The opposite was true; it was beyond gorgeous. But it was such a huge mansion that just felt so…dry? Maybe that wasn’t the right word. It just didn’t feel like a home; much more like a museum. Her happiness at not having to live here couldn’t be contained in this monstrous place.

Ironically though, she was still stuck packing it.

The furniture and stuff like that weren’t her problem. What Chaerin’s job was was to pack up the rooms. The kitchen had already been done, the dishes and such packed away into boxes. From there, Chaerin decided that she wanted to do her husband’s room next. What was more fun than going through your love’s past life’s junk?

Duh, nothing.

As she checked out the rooms, however, she realized that she couldn’t determine which room was actually Daniel’s. There were two very likely candidates but picking a winner was not easy at all. Both rooms were done in his style and even had the sort of things she expected from him. So which was it?

It wasn’t until Chaerin paid attention to the carpets that she knew which was which. Technically, both rooms were the winners. However, one of them probably wasn’t used by him after a certain time. After a certain life changing moment, more like it.

Particularly, after Daniel’s father had been killed. On a very specific looking carpet that looked very much like the one she had mentioned when they had first gone shopping for furniture.

So very obviously, that was the room Chaerin started with.

Duh. Who could resist that temptation? Not her, that was for sure.

Which came back to why she felt like she was intruding. If Daniel couldn’t even bring himself to stay in the room, or at least move his things out, then what gave her the right to go through them?

Her husband obviously but still.

Still.

“No big deal, girl,” she said quietly to herself. She was alone in the house and yet there was this heavy pressure that she had to whisper. Like someone would hear her or something. “Just, you know, going through the room where your father-in-law most likely met his end.”

Totally cool.

In a not sick sinister way. Just cool that Chaerin didn’t see or hear these sorts of things like ever. “My husband’s a badass who works with mobsters,” she couldn’t help but laugh as she walked over to the closet. “I’m a mob wife by association.”

She was cool.

Opening the closet, she peered in. There was nothing interesting that she saw – clothes, shoes, some boxes. Boxes were always going to be way more interesting than clothes and shoes so she pulled them out one by one, setting them on his bed. She tried to completely ignore the fact that she was walking on a carpet that a man had died on.

“Who ignores that?” she muttered as she glanced down. The carpet was very obviously clean but…wouldn’t it be cool if she saw like a bloodstain or something? God, that’d be so cool.

Or…not cool. Because she was a decent human being who wasn’t intrigued by the thought of seeing a dead body or being in the scene of a crime. Okay maybe she was but that didn’t mean she was a bad person. Just that she was…incredibly curious.

Crouching down on the floor like an idiot, Chaerin squinted at the carpet with a little bit of hope like the complete weirdo that she was. She wasn’t sure why she expected to see something when this was a rich people house and rich people paid four times the amount for things to make sure the full extra fifty miles was gone.

Meaning the cleaning people scrubbed like hell.

Too bad.

“Sigh,” Chaerin huffed as she sat down on the bed and pulled one of the boxes closer. A couple of them just had shoes in them because – as she had come to learn – her husband was a shoe freak. He knew names that Chaerin didn’t even know existed. It was ridiculous. She was the woman and yet she had less shoes than he did; his took up more than half the floor space of their closet for Pete’s sake.

“My hubby’s so extra,” she laughed as she dropped another box with shoes in it on the floor. “Extra, extra, read all about it! Daniel will soul his soul for shoes! Mobsters know how to buy his favor with a pair of something leather and Italian!”

Did she mention that Daniel loved shoes?

Her man loved shoes, guys.

“Now this looks promising,” she murmured after popping off the lid of a box that did not reveal shoes. It was filled with different little knickknacks and what must be family sorts of things. She wondered why Daniel had saved a plastic lizard. Favorite toy maybe?

But the most fascinating inside was when she reached the bottom and found a photo album.

Jackpot.

Pulling it out in excitement, Chaerin opened to a random page leading her to her husband’s childhood. There were tons of pictures of him and Johanna doing literally everything. But she bet when a person grew up rich, they had a whole ton of opportunities that other people like Chaerin didn’t. Not that Chaerin would ever complain about the way she grew up. People didn’t have it as easy as she did so she never took anything for granted.

Flipping backwards in the book lead her to baby pictures of Johanna and eventually of Daniel. Then there were photos of their parents when they were young, smiling and happy. She wondered if she would have gotten along with them. Would she have been that type of person who disliked her in-laws? Chaerin typically loved everyone but what if she had gotten stuck with crappy in-laws?

Then her mother would have beaten them up. Totally.

Reaching childhood pictures of Daniel’s parents, Chaerin examined who she guessed to be one of Daniel’s grandfathers closely. Her husband pulled some features from his maternal grandfather. Same sort of nose and mouth shape.

Handsome of course.

Humming as she enjoyed herself and figuring that she should find an album of her family for Daniel to go through, Chaerin paused on a page when her eye caught on an interesting image. Huh. Daniel had never mentioned that they were a military family. This man was very obviously military in his uniform… “Is that? I’m not delusional yet. I haven’t had the kids…”

The handsome stoic man in the photograph, whoever he was, was wearing a Nazi armband. The photo was black and white but she didn’t need to see the red to know what it was. Daniel’s family _was_ German…but…it wouldn’t be that farfetched…no way, right?

“Wrong,” Chaerin answered herself. “They’re not only German but blonde and blue eyed as hell. No way they didn’t have a Nazi in the family.” Pulling the picture out of the sleeve in the book, Chaerin put it in her pocket.

She had questions.

 

 

“Were you able to get a lot of stuff cleaned up?” Daniel asked as he walked into the kitchen all fresh from his shower. He’d just come home and looked exhausted which almost made her change her mind about bringing up Sir Nazi.

Almost.

“Eh,” she replied as she set the table. A nice and homely table, not a monstrosity like the one in the museum mansion. “I got distracted by going through all your shoes.”

He broke into a beautiful laugh as he took out cups to put them something to drink. “Don’t act all surprised by the discovery. Who, just yesterday, complained about my oversized shoe wardrobe?”

“Oh, I wasn’t surprised by that at all,” she couldn’t help but laugh as she plopped spaghetti in their plates. Today was an easy dinner because she had spent the day cleaning the old house. Well, kind of. After the discovery of Sir Nazi, she had been pretty distracted and kept going through the photo album. She found no other pictures of him in uniform but there were others of the man. Chaerin had learned that he was Daniel’s great grandfather from his mother’s side. Karl Diels.

Chaerin hoped he had died horribly.

“I was surprised by something else though,” she began as she sat down after putting the garlic bread on the table.

“Oh yeah?” he asked curiously as he too sat.

“Um, yeah,” Chaerin nodded. Pulling out Sir Nazi who she had been carrying around all day because she didn’t want to forget, she pushed him over to Daniel. “Maybe you can tell me a bit about Sir Nazi over here.”

Daniel froze mid chew before flicking his eyes from the picture up to her. Swallowing, he took a moment to sigh as he pulled the picture closer with a finger. “Sir Nazi. Oberführer Karl Diels. Or Senior Colonel in English. SS officer.”

Yeah, she had figured he was one from the uniform. Senior Colonel sure sounded fancy though. “Your great grandfather was a Nazi.”

Flipping the picture over like he didn’t want to look at it, Daniel turned back to his food. “It was Germany and almost World War II. If you weren’t with them, you were against them. My mother said that he chose to be with so his family wouldn’t live a troubled life.”

“No offense, babe, but I don’t believe your mother.”

With a shrug as he snagged a bread, Daniel replied “I never believed her either. But I’m just giving you the facts. You want to know so I’m telling you what I’ve been told.”

“Again, no offense, but I don’t think I would have like your mother.”

“She wasn’t exactly the easiest to get along with,” he murmured with another shrug.

Shoving a forkful of spaghetti in her mouth because, damn, she was a hell of a cook when it came to pasta, Chaerin said “Keep going.”

“Not much to say. I don’t know much. She’d never answer much questions. But, you know, he was the ‘Aryan race.’ White, blonde, blue eyed. The epitome of ‘perfection.’ And I’m sure that he loved what he did which I imagine to be horrible things.”

“You don’t need to imagine,” Chaerin couldn’t help but snap. She hated all horrible people – racists, homophobes, whatever. She wished she knew how to fight because sometimes she just wanted to beat them all up. To a freaking pulp. “There’s novels and movies and documentaries. No imagining necessary, white as hell King Daniel.”

His eyes went wide with surprise at her venom. It very obviously wasn’t his fault that his family had a Nazi soldier but she couldn’t help it. There was a fire in her and she needed to unleash it. Daniel happened to be the only one in the room.

“Sorry,” she sighed after a minute of stuffy silence, slumping into her chair. “It just pisses me off how people are so horrible. Do you know how he died? Tell me it was horrible.”

“According to my mother, shot in the ‘line of duty.’ Now, Johanna and I were always curious of the Nazi in our family and did a little bit of digging. We couldn’t find much but it seemed that Oberführer Karl Diels was actually a major coward because when the war ended and the Germans lost, he killed himself.”

“Oh that bitchin’ coward.”

“Right? Pathetic.”

Looking at Sir Nazi’s picture, Chaerin decided to do her own little bit of justice to the man. “I’m gonna burn him alive.”

“Huh?” Daniel laughed as he watched her get up with the picture and go to the stove. “He’s kinda dead, babe.”

Clicking on the stove and setting the flame to the highest level, Chaerin shrugged. “Not in this picture he’s not. My babies are not associating with this prick.” Touching the corner of the photo to the flame, she mimicked that sinister old lady evil witch voice as she laughed “Burn, bitch, burn! May hell haveth take you!”

Daniel was choking on laughter or spaghetti, she wasn’t sure but it didn’t matter. Sir Nazi was burned to ashes. “Is he dead, Madame Witch?”

“Bwahahaha,” Chaerin said in a deep voice. “King Daniel, we have succeeded in our mission of removal of Sir Nazi. We must burn the rest of him from the book. Let us take over the kingdom and purge it of the foulness Sir Nazi brings.”

“O-Oh my God, stop!” he howled in laughter before he started choking on his spit. Chaerin walked over and banged him on the back a few times until he stopped coughing but added one more for good measure. “Thank you,” Daniel snorted, his face red from both laughter and dying. “No more, please.”

“But my King,” she continued in the deep voice. Honestly, she sounded kind of constipated but oh well. “My King we must erase this foul being from history. Along with the childhood memories of your mother because she took too many pictures with the man. I am sorry.” An idea sparked her head. “Actually, let us simply rip him out of the photos as to not disrespect thy mother.”

“Thy?”

“Thy.”

“Will you please stop talking like that? It’s creepy as hell.”

“Only after Sir Nazi has been deleted.” It was killing her throat but she did not lose at anything. She’d keep it up all the way.

“Then, dear God, let’s go now,” Daniel said as he quickly stood. “I’m not listening to a constipated Christian Bale playing Batman for the rest of my night.”


	27. Spongebob: The Movie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Movie day at Yulian's staring SpongeBob and a critical Ivo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by my bro who was mean and wouldn't allow Emilio to come watch
> 
> Timelinish: Aug 2005
> 
> Somewhere between chpts 81 and 82 of His World was a Nightmare
> 
> Enjoy!

“Are they allowed to show asses in a kids’ movie?”

Joseph rolled his eyes and titled his head back from where he lay to stare up at his father sitting on the couch behind him. “Really?”

His father – actually looking serious – shrugged as he slouched deeper into the corner of tetíncho’s couch. They had come to watch a movie that Joseph had been dying to see since it came out.

Spongebob the movie.

Oh yeah.

And because Joseph’s house, for whatever reason that he had yet to figure out, didn’t have a television, Joseph had brought himself and his new DVD to his uncle’s house. Along with dragging his parents too of course because why not?

“I’m just saying that my ten year old does not need to see a pink ass with a flag shoved between it.”

“It’s just a cartoon,” Joseph muttered, making sure that his annoyance wasn’t expressed because he did not need that stress in his life. Turning back to the movie, Joseph once more made himself comfortable on the floor. He had no clue why his father had decided that he wanted to watch with him and Anka but he wasn’t about to complain.

“We’re here!” Andrey exclaimed for the whole world to hear as he and tetíncho Yulian walked in, the older carrying two giant bowls of chips and the younger holding juice. “What’d we miss?”

“A pink ass,” Joseph snorted before he yelped when he got a nudge of a foot to his head. Rubbing the spot gingerly, he glared up at his father. Well, not glare because, again, he didn’t need that stress in his life. “Ouch.”

Looking entirely unamused with a brow raised, his father replied “Tell me why you earned that.”

With a grumble as he accepted the juice pouch from Andrey, Joseph said as he sat up “Because your knee had a sudden jerking reaction causing it to kick?”

“That doesn’t even properly answer the question,” his father snorted before breaking into a yawn. Stretching himself out, he lay down on the couch and stretched his arm out, poking Joseph in the head. “Why’d you earn that.”

Sighing reluctantly, Joseph turned back to the tv and answered “Because I said a word I’m not supposed to.”

“There are fresh bars of soap still in their boxes under the bathroom sink,” tetíncho Yulian offered after munching on a couple chips. “In case they’re needed.”

No, no they were not needed, thank you. That was definitely one of the last things Joseph wanted. Sitting with soap in the mouth was like the worst thing ever.

“Well, if his mouth keeps going, I might take you up on that offer.”

“Tatko,” Joseph whined in worry. He wouldn’t, would he? They were supposed to be enjoying his movie, not shoving soap in mouths. God, wouldn’t he though?

He wasn’t sure if his father heard the desperate panic in his voice or not but he suddenly stuck out his hand and said “C’mere.”

Crawling over to the huge couch because it wasn’t worth getting to his feet as Spongebob and Patrick got drunk off ice cream, Joseph rolled onto the couch alongside his father who wrapped an arm around his waist. Pressing a kiss to Joseph’s head, his father murmured “No words come out of your mouth that shouldn’t and I think we’re good, right?”

Nodding as he rested his hand atop his father’s, Joseph watched as Neptune tried to smite Mr. Krabs because of his crown. Joseph laughed at the reactions of Neptune’s shining bald head. “Bikini Bottom is like the most violent and dramatic place ever.”

“Being bald seems worth the drama,” tetíncho Yulian snorted while dragging himself up from the floor to the other couch. “Dear God, please don’t let me go bald. I want a nice head of hair until I’m like…eighty.”

“Dear God,” his father said in such a serious tone that if Joseph hadn’t turned to look at his sparkling eyes, he would have thought that he was seriously into it. “If I must go bald, let it be after Yulian so I can rub it in his white boy face.”

Both Joseph and his cousins broke out into raucous laughter with Anka snorting out “That’s not nice, tetíncho. Maybe you guys can go bald together.”

“Ew, no. How am I going to rub it in your bashtá’s face then? No, him first. He’s older anyways.”

Joseph could literally feel tetíncho Yulian rolling his eyes. “I’m not that much older. Plus, your job is more stressful than mine so I think that means your hair goes first.”

Man, did Joseph want details there. It was one thing knowing that your father was a mobster but it was another to actually understand what he did. And not just any mobster but _the head._ The big baddie. Yup, his father was cool. Now if only Joseph could brag about how cool his father was at school. But people didn’t just go around blurting that their father was a mobster.

That was a no no.

“Hey, tatko?” Joseph couldn’t help but ask as they watched Plankton’s cold-blooded killer on the screen. “You got boots like those?” Dennis was wearing these biker boots that literally said ‘your head here’ with an arrow pointing down.

Didn’t mobsters step on people? Explode heads or something?

With a very loud snort, his father laughed “Can’t say I do, no. I’m not a boots sorta guy anyways. Although, your tetíncho actually went through a boot phase. So tacky.”

“Boots are not tacky, thank you,” his tetíncho muttered. “There’s nothing wrong with a nice pair of ankle boots. Plus, Raul literally wears boots all the time. Don’t see you calling him tacky.”

“They match him, they don’t match your rich white ass.”

“No offense, tetíncho,” Anka laughed before choking on the chip she was chewing.

Tetíncho Yulian patted her on the back a few times before she shooed his hand away. “Next time swallow before speaking.”

Clearing her throat and probably the last of whatever was stuck, Anka tried again after a sip of juice. “Ahem. Lemme try again. No offense, tetíncho-”

“Offense taken,” his father interrupted with a laugh.

“But you do know that you’re white, right?” Anka continued like she hadn’t been interrupted. “So insulting tatko is merely insulting yourself. Because you’re a white boy too.”

“Tell him, Anka,” tetíncho Yulian said with a laugh. “Put him in his place.”

Resting his head on Joseph’s before flipping off tetíncho Yulian, his father said to Anka “My dear Anka, I may be white but I’m not your bashtá’s type of white. He’s literally a blonde rich white boy. Doesn’t get more stereotypical than that. Not to mention he was barely connected with his culture before I came along to teach him.”

Joseph could’ve sworn that his father had grown up in a well-off family. Maybe even rich. Tetíncho Yulian’s family was what he had learned was called ‘old money.’ Generations of rich people in fancy old houses with luxury cars and weekly brunches and tea parties or whatever. Yeah, they were literally a stereotype. “Tatko, didn’t you come from a rich family too? I thought you did?”

A huge snort erupted from tetíncho Yulian which probably meant that Joseph was right. His father flicked Joseph’s ear before replying “Well, yeah, but different from your tetíncho’s.”

“Illegal,” tetíncho Yulian cut in.

“We’re a mob family, ass. Your money is illegal too.”

“No, no, no. My money is inherited from generations of Simeonovs. I’m naturally rich. The money I have worked for is illegal. There’s a difference. Your family’s money is built off mob dealings and corruption. Mine is legitimate.”

Reaching for the bowl on the floor, his father grabbed and ate a chip before stealing a sip of Joseph’s juice. “So my grandfather made my family rich from ripping people off. How’s that any different than what we do? Plus, my money does not come from my family. I was broke as fuck when I got here. All my family’s money that we were able to take was used to get here. My money is from my hard work, thank you.”

“So am I going to inherit generations of Simeonov money?” Andrey asked curiously. “It goes to me too, doesn’t it?”

Tucking a pillow under his head, tetíncho Yulian replied with a grin “Nope, I’m going to make you work for your money. Joseph has to so you have to. Anka, on the other hand, can live off all my money.”

“Yes!” Anka shouted at the same time that Andrey grumbled in annoyance that it wasn’t fair. “Albena too, right tatko?”

Albena, the newest addition to the Simeonov clan was a couple weeks old and the cutest baby Joseph had ever seen. Well, he’d only ever seen Alondra because he had been too little to remember Anka but whatever. She was just plain adorable.

“Dunno, she doesn’t let me sleep at night,” he laughed in response to her question. “Maybe I’m not in a giving mood for her.”

As Joseph watched Spongebob rush for ice cream, he couldn’t help but wonder how in the world neither he nor Patrick noticed all the skulls. Like seriously? Also, the old lady was seriously creepy. Which…it seemed that way because apparently, she was very much _not_ an old lady.

So gross. She was all gooey and mushy and ew. And her snail? Dear God, if Joseph was Spongebob, he’d never want ice cream or pet a snail again. Mr. Whiskers his butt.

Ew.

“That’s disgusting,” his father muttered as they watched Patrick in his peanut party underpants. “Has he ever even taken them the fuck off? Fucking nasty.”

“I think you’re getting a little too worked up over some cartoon underpants,” tetíncho Yulian muttered from his couch, Anka now sitting in the crook of his knees.

“It teaches kids not to change their underwear.”

“Omigod,” Joseph couldn’t help but groan. It was so hard watching movies with his father and his endless commentary sometimes.

“What? I’m just saying.”

Watching Mindy giving Spongebob and Patrick their ‘mustaches’ made Joseph giggle. So you needed a mustache to be a man, huh? “Tatko, I don’t think you’re a man according to this science presented here.”

Breaking into laughter causing Joseph to grin because it was hard to get tetíncho Yulian to outright laugh sometimes, his uncle said “Good one! Huh, Ivo? Can’t be a man without a mustache. Or some facial hair which you seem to be lacking.” Rubbing along his cleanly cut facial hair trimmed close to his face, tetíncho Yulian added “I think I’m good. Got me some nice facial hair. I guess I’m the only man in the room.”

“Fuck you, bitch,” his father said in this odd mix of amusement and irritation. It was like he got the joke but didn’t appreciate it. “I’m sorry that I like to be clean and smooth. Classy as fuck over here, thank you. I dare you to imply that Timotei wasn’t a man because he didn’t grow out a mustache or beard. Dare you.”

“Timotei is different, he’s Timotei. You’re Ivo. I like insulting Ivo.”

“Bet you me and Emilio can do that,” Joseph interrupted as they watched the slapping dance that was going on because jokes weren’t jokes anymore. Men were so sensitive about their manliness. Sheesh. No mind that Joseph was a man – boy but same thing. “Although maybe not as fast.”

“I think…” Andrey began only to fall short. “Actually, no, no I can’t. They’re too good.”

“Right? Such pros. I’d probably do better than Emilio.”

“I’d do better than you,” Anka bragged before she stuck out her tongue at him.

With an idea sparking in his head, Joseph laughed “We should do a competition! Winner gets…loser’s dessert.”

“Mustache on demand,” his father cut in as Dennis literally popped a mustache just from a grunt. “I agree with Patrick; the dude has to be a mermaid. Merman. Whatever. Magical.”

“Maybe you should contact him for some magical potions for your mustache,” Joseph giggled before yelping in surprise when he was suddenly pushed off the couch. “Hey!” he laughed as he looked up at his smirking father. “Just saying!”

Stretching and sliding down to sit on the floor, his father said “For your peoples’ info, my wife happens to like my hair lacking face. No beard burn in places where she wouldn’t appreciate it.”

“Oh-kay, shut up now,” tetíncho Yulian said quickly, probably thinking that Joseph’s father was going to continue with whatever it was that he meant. Joseph had no clue but he figured it was something inappropriate from how fast his uncle shut down his father.

“Are you sure you don’t want those boots, tatko?” Joseph said as Dennis’s boots turned into giant spikes. Those were definitely for head exploding. Mobsters needed those. Or something. Actually, maybe it was better that they didn’t. How in the world would the owner be able to clean off all the blood and brain matter? Bleach did not go on leather.

“Maybe now just because they have spikes. I’ve never stepped on someone but hey, first for everything,” his father answered in amusement. “Also, Jesus Christ above, merman there is huge. He did not look that big a second ago.”

“Just imagine Joseph next to him,” Andrey laughed while Joseph glared at him. Everyone joined in a second later and it was definitely not amusing.

Resting his head on his palm as he slouched on his elbow, Joseph muttered “You guys aren’t funny. One day, I’m going to be taller than everyone. Then I’m going to laugh at you guys.”

Watching as the sea creatures attacked the gift shop owner – who for some stupid reason was still wearing his diving suit – Joseph couldn’t help but wonder what it’d be like if someone had walked in on that. Would they get jumped too? That’d be hilarious. Or when all the sea creatures were done, they’d come streaming out of Shell City to people’s surprise.

“Who’s David Hasselhoff?” Andrey asked as the named person came jogging up to save the day.

“Baywatch,” tetíncho Yulian murmured in reply. When he realized that that didn’t answer the question at all, he explained “An actor. Big time dude. They’re referencing this lifeguard show called Baywatch here.”

“Ah.”

“Was he mechanical in Baywatch?” his father snorted as they watched Hasselhoff, somehow, drive like a motorboat even though he was supposed to be swimming. Joseph was just as confused as his father. “Oh look! It’s the boot! Five bucks says merman is driving it.”

With an eyeroll that was just as good as the Kavinsky version, tetíncho Yulian answered “It was a lifeguard show, of course he wasn’t mechanical. But this is Spongebob. Literally anything can happen in this freaky world.”

“So true. Also, you all owe me five bucks.”

Joseph watched as Spongebob offered Dennis payment to call off the hit. “Do you want five goober dollars, tatko?”

Ivo snorted as Spongebob took out some bubbles as payment next. “Puh-lease. Contract killing costs way more than five goober dollars and some bubbles.” Putting a pillow behind his back, his father laughed “Maybe like, a million goober dollars. Then we’ll talk.”

Rolling over to look at Joseph’s father, Andrey asked in surprise “It costs a million dollars for a contract kill?”

“Don’t answer that,” tetíncho Yulian warned with a stern look. “Business isn’t for children.”

Completely ignoring his brother-in-law, Joseph’s father replied “Not really, no. Although the price of a hit depends on how difficult or how high profile a target is. But since goober dollars aren’t real tender to spend outside of an ice cream parlor that apparently sells alcoholic ice cream then I charge more.”

“Do you want to be a goofy goober, Andrey?” Anka giggled as Spongebob broke out into song.

Really, typical Spongebob. He was so weird.

“Whoa, check out Patrick’s heels and fishnets,” Joseph coughed out while choking on the last sip of juice. He totally thought it was a lady fish before they showed his face.

Hilarious.

“Depends,” Andrey said to answer Anka’s question, “Will I be a rocker like Spongebob or a side babe like Patrick?”

“The rocker, I hope,” Joseph’s father grumbled. “This is so inappropriate.”

 _More than your mouth?_ Of course, he’d never say that aloud. Joseph didn’t want to die, thank you. But really, the best part of the movie was when it turned out Spongebob’s ‘magic’ was rigged and he was stuck hanging from the ceiling.

And Patrick had to walk over to bring his buddy down.

In his fishnets and heels.

“Jesus fucking Christ. What the hell.”

“It’s a cartoon, Ivo, chill,” tetíncho Yulian sighed in exasperation. “Like seriously. It’s for kids.”

“Exactly,” his father snorted as if tetíncho had proved the point. “Kids don’t need to see a man or boy or whatever the hell Patrick is in heels and tights. Duh. It’s so wrong. And disgusting as fuck.”

This man was so extra, it was unbelievable. Actually, it was believable because it was so typical. Dear God, if he knew that Joseph thought himself gay then Lord help him.

Lord help him.

“Do they know that Squidward isn’t wearing pants?” Anka giggled as she set her head on tetíncho’s hip. “How is his fly open?”

Sitting up and stretching as they reached the credits, Andrey yawned “C’mon, Anka, we all know how Spongebob works. Everything is convenient to the episode. Duh.”

“Yeah,” Joseph joined in,” Sometimes his legs are pants and have pockets.”

With a snort as he stood up and stretched, his father said as he walked out of the room “Never thought I’d waste my very little free time watching Spongebob. Dear God, I’m losing it in my old age.”

“Pft, who needs sanity?”


	28. Chickie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One of Joseph's grand ideas doesn't go the way he expects

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Timelinish: May 2008  
> Between chpts 118 and 119 of His World was a Nightmare  
> (Bronx Zoo & Emilio and the dog attack)

“The fuck do we need with a chicken coop?” Ivo sighed in exasperation as Joseph stood before the display, completely enraptured in its ‘beauty.’

As beautiful as a white fancy chicken coop could be.

“Tatko,” Joseph said to him in an almost scandalized voice, turning to stare at Ivo with wide eyes. There was so much beautiful emotion in those eyes that Ivo loved. Joseph’s good days were Ivo’s favorite ones of the week. “The real question you should be asking is what don’t we need with a chicken coop?”

With another sigh and a shake of his head, Ivo leaned on their cart as he gave his brat a chance to enjoy the company of the coop. No way in fuck was Ivo dragging that thing home with them. Even if it looked mildly cool.

Fuck.

“Fine,” Ivo muttered as he covered his face in his hands, still resting his arms atop the handle of the cart. Jesus lord, has he gotten soft over the years. One look and that weird way with words Joseph had and BAM, he had Ivo. “You want the stupid fucking thing?”

Peeking through his fingers, he watched as Joseph bounced excitedly on the balls of his feet. “Really, tatko? Really, really?”

Vesela would probably be unhappy but…Joseph would be happy…

It wasn’t exactly a win-win situation for him right now.

Fuck.

The loveseat in their room was comfortable but that didn’t mean that Ivo actually wanted to spend his night on it. His bed was way more comfy than the couch but if he indulged Joseph then…he could quite possibly be shunned to the couch.

“Tatko? Can I?”

But if he didn’t get it, Joseph would be mopey and Ivo really wasn’t a fan of mopey Joseph. They had enough of that as it was with his bouts of depression. Smiles were bomb; he’d kill for his son’s smiles. “What would you put in it? I don’t think either Waddle nor Peanut want to hang out in a coop.” He could be pragmatic about this; simply make Joseph see the error in wanting one. Then he would move on from it himself without Ivo saying no and Ivo wouldn’t have to worry about an annoyed Vesela.

Simple.

There was this huge grin on Joseph’s face that literally could make Ivo melt in happiness and it wasn’t until he saw the little glint of mischief in his child’s eyes that he knew.

Joseph was totally playing him.

Simple his ass.

“I commend your abilities, brat, I commend,” Ivo acknowledged with a short nod as he tried his damn hardest not to smile. Nope, he would not let Joseph win this one. “But…in lack of a proper reason in needing this here monstrosity,” he gestured to the coop, “it’s gonna have to be a no.”

Not even close to deterred, Joseph said “Well, duh, I have no reason for it yet but that’ll change once you buy me my chick.”

Fuck.

“Your…chick.” Did Ivo promise Joseph something that he totally didn’t remember? Fuck his life. Ivo didn’t break promises and if he had promised a chick…then he was going to have to get the fucking chick. Thing was…he had no idea whether he had or hadn’t.

His kid was getting good at playing games.

Eyes taking on a slightly wounded look, Joseph stuck his hands in the pockets of his chinos and bit his lip. “Tatko, you said you’d buy me one. I asked you like a month ago.”

A month ago? Shit, what was going on a month ago? Ivo barely even knew what he had had for breakfast this morning not to remember a month ago. He wasn’t a man who forgot but the little things always seemed to escape him. Ivo could remember names, faces, grudges, who owes him what but ask him something like what the fuck had they come shopping for in the first place and he was as good as fucked. He either needed someone with him to remember everything or a list.

Fuck his life.

No, no. Fuck his brain.

“Uh…right…” Fuck. Okay, new tactic. “But while…I may have promised, I’ve no idea where to buy one so…” It wasn’t like a person could just buy a chick from a normal pet store, right? At least, not here in Jersey. No way. They weren’t farmers or whatever.

With a triumphant smile, Joseph took out a folded piece of paper from his pocket and Ivo knew that he was about to be proven wrong. For fuck’s sake, his brat had done _research._

Daaa-mmit.

Unfolding his sheet of proof, Joseph turned it to face Ivo. It was printed directions to… “Jersey Chickens. Of course there’s a place called Jersey chickens. Of fucking course.” Joseph giggled but otherwise made no other noise as Ivo read over the information. “Joseph, brat, that’s almost a two hour drive. You want me to drive all the way to Jackson for a chick? Isn’t there somewhere closer?”

Biting his lip nervously – probably thinking that he was losing the higher ground – Joseph said in such a hopeful tone “Yeah, but…but please? I wanna raise a chick so bad. Please, tatko?”

Taking the paper and reading it one last time, Ivo sighed in defeat. He was trying so hard to be the type of father he had always wanted to be, always wanted Joseph to have, and if it meant getting a stupid chick…

Then it meant getting a fucking chick. Was that spoiling? Honestly, Ivo wasn’t sure. He himself hadn’t been – hell, he’d barely been liked – so he wasn’t sure to what extent was considered spoiling. His brat may be his brat but he wasn’t actually one. A chick wouldn’t change that.

Plan of attack formed in his mind, Ivo said to his hopeful child “Tell you what. We’ll get what the chick needs today and pick it up tomorrow after church and lunch. Fair?” Honestly, Ivo felt like it wasn’t being that he was going to have to deal with bullshit traffic for a couple hours but what else could he do?

“Yes!” Joseph shouted in glee, fist raised towards the roof. He blushed when he remembered that he was in the middle of Sam’s Club and lowered his arm but his eyes were no less excited. “You’re the best! Thank you!”

He was the best.

Fuck. Yeah.

“Let’s finish up our grocery list, then we’ll get one of the larger carts and come back for this monster. Good?” Joseph nodded emphatically, nearly skipping as they walked towards the fridges. “First?”

Quickly getting into shopping mode and out of farm animal universe, Joseph pulled out a different piece of paper and read “Let’s get the bagels first because they’ll come firs- wait, wait, no. Laundry detergent first. That comes before the food in the way that we’re walking.”

Ivo wasn’t going to lie; he enjoyed shopping. It could – sometimes – actually end up being relaxing. But of course that was contingent upon the place he was in being not packed and the nonexistence of stupid people. Sadly, both of those conditions were quite rare. But the situation could be saved if he had someone with him to keep him company.

Hence Joseph.

“I like this smell better,” Joseph said as he grabbed the handle of the huge container of Gain Island whatever. “Smells better than the All.”

Pulling the list out of Joseph’s back pocket, Ivo took a glance over it. “Mayko wrote Tide.”

“That just means laundry detergent,” Joseph insisted as he hefted up the heavy gallon into the cart. _One day, you’ll grow. One fucking day._ “I’m pretty sure I get to pick what I like.”

Yeah…Ivo was pretty sure that that wasn’t how it was supposed to go. “And if you don’t and we have to drag our asses back here because she felt like proving a point?” That would be so like Vesela. Hell, she’d literally done it before, years ago when they had first married.

_“Who does the laundry?” she huffed with her arms crossed. “Me or you?”_

_Ivo stood pretty much dumbfounded in front of her. Apparently, there was a difference between detergents. He was not versed in these differences. Although…he was pretty sure he had gotten this brand before so why was it an issue now? Or maybe she had been trying to be nice before and not bring it up? “Well, you, although I did put in a couple…”_

_He didn’t like the glare she was giving him._

_Coming around the corner of their little hallway of their little apartment, his mother glanced between them before setting her gaze on Vesela. “Men are no good at these things, are they?”_

_Vesela broke into a beautiful laugh before shaking her head and replying “No, no they’re not.”_

The lesson had been learned after she had sent him back to return what he had bought and picked what she wanted. Also, never buy Sun detergent. That much Ivo always remembered.

Focusing back on the present and Joseph, he watched as his son glanced around for fabric softener. Picking the one he apparently wanted, Joseph replied “Well, I’ll just blame it on you. Duh. I’ll tell her that you were just so insistent on having Island Breeze.”

“Nah,” Ivo laughed as he pushed the cart on their way after Joseph jumped onto the front. “She won’t believe it. She’s beaten it into me to know better.”

Joseph snorted and with mischievous eyes asked “Oh? Is Lord Kavinsky whipped in his marriage?”

“Pft, no, it’s called an _equal_ marriage. I do stuff, she does stuff, and we learn what the other likes and doesn’t like. Also, Lord Kavinsky is a smart man who knows that happy wife means happy home.” Grabbing a bag of bagels and setting them carefully in the cart, he added “I hope you’re taking notes here. Happy wife, happy home. Put it in all caps and underline it.”

Joseph scrunched his forehead, still clutching the front of the cart as Ivo pushed them on. “We gotta grab chicken breast and I really want steaks, please. And what if I don’t want to get married?”

Raising a brow but keeping his focus on which pack of chicken he was going to pick, Ivo said “Don’t be ridiculous. Why wouldn’t you? Plus, not to be crude-”

“I mean, that’s nothing new.”

“But, unless you plan on being a virgin for your entire life, you’re getting married.” When he found a pack that he thought looked clean and wasn’t huge, Ivo took the bag Joseph offered him and put it in before plopping it into their cart. “I’m not old fashioned or anything but I’m a firm believer in no premarital sex.” It was how he had grown up and really, Ivo saw nothing wrong with someone saving themselves for marriage. He’d done it and he was fine. Plus, Ivo didn’t want a Yulian mini me in Joseph, sleeping around here and there before settling down. No way.

Rolling his eyes as they moved on, Joseph noted “Tatko, you and mayko had sex before you guys got married.”

“Different,” he answered easily, “We already knew that we were going to get married. In our minds, we’d been married since she was sixteen and I was nineteen. We didn’t need papers and rings to prove it to each other.” Ivo wasn’t happy with how the steaks looked. “Sorry, no steaks today.”

“Course not,” Joseph muttered unhappily before his eyes caught on a sample cart. “Ooh we gotta hit all those up, tatko. Also, marriage seriously doesn’t appeal to my future.”

“You’re fourteen; you’re not thinking about it yet is all.” Abruptly stopping before he almost ran over an old lady who gave them a smile, Ivo said “And…I’d like a grandkid or two. Just saying.”

 

 

“Mayko’s gonna kill us,” Ivo muttered as he peeked a glance at Joseph with the box that held his chick in his lap. They hadn’t shown Vesela all the stuff that they had bought yesterday, instead leaving them in the Escalade.

Yeah, so Ivo was slightly chicken shit to tell his wife that he had totally given in to buying a baby chicken. Shoot him. Well, don’t because that hurt like fuck.

Eyes bright and face filled with eternal happiness that glowed all over, Joseph didn’t reply as he opened the top of the box just a crack. A peep sounded before Joseph giggled and poked a finger in. He let out a yelp than laughed hard, clutching his finger. “Ouch!”

“Close the damn thing before it breaks free.” Vesela’s possible anger was totally worth that laugh.

She had been confused on why they had said they were going to go to church separately and leave after lunch to do something for a while. The confusion became suspicion then but there was nothing Ivo could do about that. The minute she had left for church with a grudging ‘see you guys there,’ Ivo and Joseph had rushed to set up everything for the chick in the backyard before they ended up late for church.

Turning into the garage and sending a quick prayer to God for his own selfish sake, they got out and prepped themselves for some Vesela style frustrations.

Here they went.

  

* * *

 

“C’mon, Vesela, you know he knows how to guilt trip like fuck,” Ivo muttered as he threw his pillow onto the loveseat. Honestly, she wasn’t originally going to sentence him to the couch but then she decided to do it just because she had a feeling that he thought that it would happen.

Why not give in to his ideas? Anyways, he totally deserved it.

“What the hell are we going to do with it when it grows? I’m pretty sure that it’s not even legal to have a chicken in city limits.” A chicken. She had a freaking chicken, chicken coop, and little ‘run yard’ in her backyard. All because Ivo couldn’t find a way to say no. Ironic, she knew. “And who the hell is going to clean that thing? Chickens poop like every second. I’m not cleaning it.”

Dropping down onto the couch before stretching out, Ivo stretched an arm over his head and let the other rest on his stomach. Turning his head to look at her, he answered “Joseph will clean it. He already promised.”

Groaning as she shook her head, Vesela rolled into bed and stared up at the ceiling. It wasn’t bad enough that they had bought the wrong detergent – how hard was it to just get Tide? – but no, it seemed that they had been scheming the whole time. “I can’t believe you drove all the way to Jackson for a chick.”

“Trust me, I can’t either.” She could actually hear the shock in Ivo’s voice like he wasn’t over that fact either.

Yup, Joseph was getting good at playing his father nowadays.

Good for him.

“Come in,” she said to the knock on the door. Joseph’s head popped in a second later, his eyes immediately going to Ivo on the couch. He smirked and then outright laughed as he bounded over to her. “What’s funny?”

“Tatko, totally called that,” Joseph laughed as he hugged her.

“I know my wife,” Ivo sighed, rubbing his eyes and yawning. “She don’t want no fucking chicken in her yard.”

No, no she didn’t. And yet, she had one. Grasping Joseph’s face with a hand on his jaw, she focused his face on hers. “The minute that thing starts stinking, I’m gonna sic Peanut on it.”

“Mayko!”

Stealing a kiss on his cheek before releasing him, she snorted “The minute it starts stinking-”

“Okay, okay,” Joseph muttered. “Peanut’s a lazy butt anyways. When has she ever been interested in hunting or eating things that don’t come out of a can?”

  

* * *

 

Peanut, it seemed, was on a mission to prove him totally wrong.

A week after successfully getting himself a baby chicken, Joseph no longer had a baby chicken.

Every morning, he’d go out and clean the coop while letting Chickie run around in the little fenced in spot for running. Chickie loved the exercise if the excited peeps were anything to go by. And well, Peanut loved watching Chickie peep excitedly. Or maybe watch her run, Joseph wasn’t sure. Chickie was protected by wiring so Joseph figured what was the worst that could happen in letting Peanut and Waddle watch?

Big big mistake.

It seemed that whole time, Peanut was watching carefully and devising a way to get Chickie. Not in a cute adorable playful way like those cats who were actually friends with chicks.

Nope, nope, nope.

“We can go get another if you’d like,” his father said softly, probably worried that Joseph was about to have a freak out. He had actually taken a liking to Chickie unlike Joseph’s mother.

Sighing as they stared down at what was left of Chickie in the middle of the grass of the backyard, Joseph replied “It’s okay. Mayko and Peanut were obviously colluding behind my back.”

Upon coming out this afternoon to clean Chickie for the second time – it had to be done multiple times a day – Joseph had found his chick missing from her coop. A search of the yard had led him to some feathers and a head in the grass.

Peanut had eaten Chickie.

How she had gotten her, Joseph had yet to figure it out and he wasn’t even sure if he wanted to bother knowing. He was upset about Chickie but he hadn’t had the chance to get really attached which he figured was a good thing.

“You never know,” his father laughed before wrapping an arm around Joseph’s shoulder, “So no chick?”

“They’re a lot of work,” Joseph couldn’t help but mutter. Way more work than he had anticipated, that was for sure. Caring and cleaning after Chickie had taken a lot of Joseph’s time from the day.

Maybe that was why Peanut ate him. Took away attention from her and Waddle.

With a laugh, his father snorted “Glad you came to your senses although it’s too bad Chickie had to suffer for this knowledge.” Patting Joseph on the shoulder which he still held, his father added “Now please clean this nastiness up.”

Even in death, Chickie was making Joseph clean.

Chicken rearing? Not one of Joseph’s best ideas.


End file.
